Prophesy: MLZ Prequel
by AedanRyche
Summary: Keith Wolfheart, Iraq War Veteran, Is on the run from the US Government after going AWOL. In a gruesome motorcycle accident, he gets sent to Equestria. But is all as it seems? M for Language, Drugs, Alcohol and Lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**My Little Pony is copyright of Hasbro. All rights reserved.**

Prophesy, Chapter One…

Keith woke in a cold sweat, his dreams having turned on him in the night. He quickly scanned around the area, having pulled the large knife from the saddlebag of his Valkyrie motorcycle. He could feel it on the air, smell it even. Death clung to this area like a cancer, even cutting the light of the fire he had made short of the tree line. He could hear grunting and whimpers from the wood, close to the road he was camped off of. He ran his hand through his hair, moving the waist long black braids from his face. Standing up, he checked his pockets, making sure he still had the three thousand dollars and his bike keys before investigating the sounds.

In a ditch beside the South Dakota highway was a male deer, a mule deer to be exact. It was thrashing about in the depression, its hind legs and antlers broken severely by a car in the night. Keith looked at the animal ten feet away from him, feeling for the beast. That had been him a few months ago, before he escaped. He descended the mild incline to the ditch, walking as lightly as he could toward the animal. "Be calm, brother," he said, speaking in Lakota as his grandfather had taught him. "I am sorry this has fallen upon you," he said, now calming the animal and stroking its neck. The deer stopped thrashing, resting its head on Keith's knee in exhaustion. It looked up at him, silently begging for him to help.

"I'm sorry, friend," he said to the deer, drawing the twelve inch long Arkansas Toothpick from its scabbard and setting it between the ribs of the deer; just behind the shoulder. "But your wounds are beyond me. Worry not that your soul will be lost, for you are accepted into the Summer Lands tonight." Keith sunk the blade in at a forty five degree angle, piercing the heart. The deer kicked once, staring up at Keith's eyes. The Iraq War veteran felt a pang of sadness as the animal relinquished its hope of salvation. Keith stared back, quietly watching the life fade from the animals brown eyes. He removed the blade from the carcass, wiping the carbon steel on the deer's fur before returning it to its place at his waist. "At least I won't go hungry tonight," Keith said, now speaking in English. "This much meat should last me a week if I prepare it right." Keith crouched down, lifting the deer over his back in a fireman's carry.

Keith let the remaining bones fall into the hole he had dug underneath the dead deer after processing it, the bones cracking together in the pile of viscera. He crouched down, wiping his hands on a scrap of deer fur before untying the rope from the hind legs. "Not a bad job, if I do say so myself," Keith mused aloud, coiling the rope as he walked back to the smoke tent he had erected. "Five hours till all of that is done and seven hours till sunrise. I might even get in an hour or two of sleep tonight." He laughed to himself, tossing another slightly green hickory branch into the fire pit below the canvas tent. Sparks rose around the cloth, spiraling and dancing into the stars. Keith sat back on the side of his bike, praying to Epona that the deer be given a place of rest after its journey.

He looked up at the sky, seeing the eastern horizon beginning to brighten. 'five hundred more miles and I'm no longer in US government territory,' Keith thought, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again it was mid morning. "Shit," he said, dragging the curse out. He took down the smoke tent, laying out the canvas as he gathered the meat and placed as much as he could in plastic bags and wrapping the rest in the tent cover before stowing it in his saddlebags. The extra hundred fifty pounds would drain on his money reserves, but it was needed to sustain them. 'Oh the irony.' He thought to himself as he covered the viscera pit with stones and then soil. 'As long as they don't find this,' he thought, smoothing it out as best he could. 'Then they won't know where I'm going.' He banked the remains of his fire pit with the dirt he built up around it, laying a cut juniper bush over it to hide it before climbing onto his motorcycle and cranking the engine.

The Valkyrie roared to life, jumping forward under him. "Maybe not the safest choice of transport," he muttered, regaining control of the powerful machine and guiding it toward the highway. To the south was the sound of the police from the town he passed through yesterday. Keith gunned the throttle, kicking up the gravel on the shoulder and tearing out onto the pavement on his rear wheel. He dropped the nose down, fighting with his light weight. "But definitely needed considering I'm AWOL." Keith redoubled his efforts to distance himself from the police, looking back and finding them pulling off to where he had camped last night. He returned his view to the front, moving back into his lane and pushing the bike over the hundred fifty MPH marker. 'Just get to the reservation and you'll have time while they go through the legal bullshit to get you out.' he thought, ignoring the blaring horn of a semi he passed by.

Keith could smell the cordite and blood still, could still feel the pain of the gunshot wound in his shoulder even as he barreled down the highway at a hundred miles per hour. He had awoken an hour ago from a dream, a nightmare. For a moment he thought he was still in Baghdad, back in that firefight that had taken his fear from him for three years. The numbness in his right shoulder was still there, the memories of firing the SAW into that school building was heavy on his mind.

He shook the thought from his mind, concentrating on keeping the massive bike under his hundred ninety pound form. He felt the memories coming back, forcing their way to the front of his mind. Keith gunned the bike, pushing the engine to its absolute limits. The speedometer rushed past one seventy, fluttering on the marker as it continued to gain speed. The tachometer scaled the dial, dropping back as he shifted into third gear and resuming its ascent. The road ahead was clear if dark, nothing caught the light of his headlamp and there were no oncoming vehicles. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself before he lost it.

He could see the spray of blood like he was there again. The door frame was broken off its hinges, local insurgents running into the school house and firing into the area before taking up position in the windows. Keith raised his Squad Automatic Weapon, letting loose with a hail of lead. The two hundred round belt emptied into the wall, striking multiple hits with the steel tipped rounds. Blood and gore sprayed from the exit wounds in the local resistance, revealing hits through the four inch stone walls. Keith reloaded behind a dumpster, dropping the box and slamming another in before slipping the belt into position. He slammed the breach closed, pulling the action and ducking from cover.

An Iraqi fired on him from the doorframe, landing a solid hit to his right arm. The AK round knocked Keith over, the insurgent ululating to his buddies and coming out of cover. Keith sat up, firing fifty rounds into the enemy before letting the body fall. He got up, drawing his pistol and firing the clip into the two other hostiles. Keith lifted his SAW and opened it, fixing the jam and loading the rest of the belt. A single insurgent came out of the school, walking toward him with his rifle raised. Keith did the same, continuing his brisk walk and aiming at the scared local. The Iraqi fired a burst at him, landing two hits to the hard plate in his vest. Keith paid them no mind, walking up to the hostile as he struggled to fix his weapon. The Iraqi dropped the gun, raising his hands and dropping to his knees in surrender.

Keith didn't care what the human below him wanted, he was in a rage and wanted blood. The local shouted and bowed to him, begging to be taken prisoner. Keith stared into the man's eyes, placing the barrel of his gun against the bridge of the man's nose. The Iraqi's eyes grew wide, his shouts becoming whimpers before Keith pulled the trigger, loosing a hundred fifty bullets into the man's head and chest. His gun clicked empty, causing Keith to reload. He was about to fire again until a squad mate pulled him back, disarming him and subduing him.

Keith opened his eyes, seeing a large bison ahead. He didn't have time to slow down, pulling hard to the left and swerving around the ton and a half beast. He sighed and shook his head, grateful he was able to get out of that one. "Not this time," he said. "I'm not dead yet." Keith looked ahead, noticing the Semi truck barreling toward him at sixty. The driver pulled his air horn, not being able to avoid the cyclist. Keith blinked once before his front tire met the truck's bumper.

"_STOP!"_

The voice echoed for what felt like hours as time ceased to pass. Keith stared at the grille of the Mack truck in front of him, aware that he should be dead to rights. 'what in hell is going on,' he thought, looking out of the corners of his eyes. In the field to his left was a bright light that quickly faded to reveal a white horse. It stared at him.

"_This is your end, Wolfheart,"_ the horse said to him. _"But also a new beginning. I have talked with Azrael, and he has agreed to spare you for a greater purpose. The souls you sent his way have earned you a place in Valhalla as a great warrior, but this is not to be."_ The horse walked forward and moved around him, seeming to observe his every inch. _"You will be part of an ancient omen, Wolfheart," _The horse said. _"One that has carried out for eons."_

The horse walked back to the field, spreading a pair of wings before being enveloped in a flash of light. _"Since the dawn of the first civilization the Prophesy has repeated. Leaders rose and fell with their kingdoms, and a new being took the mantle. This is not to be you, but you will issue him forth."_ Time began to move again, the forks of the Valkyrie beginning to scream in protest as the bike moved forward slowly. _"All of this has happened before, but shall it again? This cycle continues, new pieces ready to spill their blood for the gods."_ Keith began to raise his hands to his face as the handlebars collided with the grille of the truck. _"So it has been written, so it shall be."_ Time came to full, the bike being crushed under the truck.

Keith slammed into the nose of the semi, launching into the air and being tossed over it. He was aware of everything, the screaming pains all across his body, the feeling of weightlessness as he fell from high, the sight of the truck locking its breaks as he passed over the trailer, the wind as it fought to push him back. Keith continued to spin in the air, unable to do anything but watch as the asphalt grew closer. He landed face down on the road, hearing his bones pulverize before blacking out. _"So say we all."_

The first thing Keith noticed was the asphalt felt soft, comfortable even. There was a warm, noon time sun beating on his back, massaging him around his state between sleep and wake. There was a light breeze and the rustle of leaves all around him, the sounds trying to lull him into a deeper state of hypogogia. 'truck…' he thought, waking himself from the subconscious state and trying to stand but finding it difficult. 'I was hit by a truck.' He tried again, lifting his head from the ground. 'Cant fall asleep… might have a concussion… Never wake up…' He struggled into a crawling stance, moving to where he was sure his bike had stopped. The sounds of engines were gone, along with the smell of exhaust. "Wait…" He said, opening his eyes and looking around.

He was on a dirt road in a light forest, the previous plains and highway no longer present. "What the hell?" Keith mumbled, finding his tongue wide and heavy in his mouth. He was thirsty, hungry and sore, but that wasn't what surprised him the most. He couldn't feel any breaks in his body, sure that after that crash he should have been dead. "What is going on?" he muttered, finding his voice again. A rabbit jumped out of the bushes beside the road, hopping up to him and sniffing his face. Keith barred his teeth and growled, trying to seem intimidating to the animal. The rabbit blinked and handed him a carrot, ignoring his attempts. Keith gave the animal a strange look, sure that it should have ran away at the sight of him. the white bunny left the vegetable on the ground, hopping away slowly and sniffing at what interested it as it passed. "Well that was odd," he said to no one, reaching out and picking up the carrot. He turned it over in his hoof, making sure it was indeed a carrot and not another tuber.

'Hoof…'

The word bounced around in his brain like a pinball, taking root in his subconscious as he bit down on the vegetable. He chewed the plant, enjoying the food before stopping completely. He dropped the carrot, holding up both hooves and staring at them. He turned them around, inspecting them as if they were a rare jewels. He lifted them above his head, letting them block out the sun. The fact continued to spread through his mind like kudzu, growing rapidly and tearing down the wall his brain had against outlandish trivia. "I have hooves…" he said in a deadpan expression before looking at the rest of his body. 'Long and cylindrical. Quadruped mammalian species. Serious craving for flowers and plants. Long wiry tail and mane with a chestnut coat…' He sat there, planting his hooves back on the ground and sighing. "I think I'm a pony…" he said aloud.

"AGH!" Keith screamed in panic, standing up and running around the area. He grabbed a passerby around the face, screaming at the sky. "I'm a pony! AGH! I'm a damn small horse!" He turned around running a hundred feet away and yelling at a random bird.

"Yeah," the passerby said, causing him to look at her. she was a violet colored unicorn with a navy blue mane and tail; a stripe of pink ran through both of them. "That's kind of the norm around here, stranger." Keith's jaw dropped as he saw her speak. A talking unicorn. "Are you ok?" She asked as his vision began to blur, his body swaying to the sides. "Oh goodness…" She said, wincing as he hit the ground and fell unconscious.

Keith was woke by a steady beeping, the sound of voices all around him. He wiped his face before opening his eyes. He stared at the ceiling, listening to the talk around him. from the sounds of the words he was in a hospital, the emergency ward it seemed. 'Thank the Gods it was only a dream…' he thought, sighing relief. He closed his eyes and smiled, the fact that he wasn't cuffed to the bed was a sign that the government still hadn't caught him. He drifted off to sleep, dozing slightly before being roused again by a nurse.

"Good day," a sweet female voice said. "I'm nurse Redheart. Are you feeling ok?" Keith nodded, keeping his eyes closed and relaxing on the cot as much as possible. "What's your name?" she asked him. "We need it to process you through the records system and discharge you." Keith opened his eyes and looked at the nurse, stopping short of his name when he found she was a pony. "Sir, are you sure you're feeling well?" She asked, taking the IV drip out of his foreleg. Keith sighed and stared back at the ceiling, now convinced it wasn't some pain induced hallucination.

"Keith," He said, his voice slightly sour. "Keith Wolfheart." The nurse nodded, writing on the clipboard with a quill. She asked his age next, the day and year. Keith wondered if they measured time like humans did. "The summer solstice, twenty seven years ago." The nurse raised her eyebrows and wrote down the information.

"summer solstice, 977 CE." She muttered, writing on the paper/ Keith filed the date away for future use, especially if he was really in a world of ponies. "An awfully odd birthday," she said, scanning the paper for anything she missed. "A birthday on the Summer Sun Celebration. You must be quite the party goer." She found a few area's she missed, tick marking them before continuing. "All I need now is an address and occupation. Your cutie mark is one I've never seen before." Keith raised an eyebrow, deciding to find out what the hell that was later.

"I'm a drifter," he said, sighing. "I don't have an address or occupation. I do a little at every town I come across to get me to the next." The nurse nodded, crossing out the sections as they had no relevance. "So what happened? I remember passing out, and then I'm here." He looked at her, spotting the red addition sign on her flank. 'that must be a cutie mark, considering she's a nurse and all.' He thought, looking back at the ceiling panels before she noticed him eyeing her and got the wrong message.

"A Good Samaritan brought you in," She explained, setting down the clipboard and unplugging the various monitors. "Twilight Sparkle, a unicorn, said she found you along the edge of Whitetail Wood rambling off like a mad pony." She pulled the blanket away from his torso, removing the pick ups for the heart monitor from his chest. "I suspect it was heat stroke, considering what you told me. You must have not noticed how dehydrated you were before you reached town." She helped him into a sitting position.

"And where is here?" Keith asked as the nurse gave him a tray of food. It had a large salad, a small bowl of dressing, a carrot and a rather large apple. 'Horse feed,' he thought with a smirk, finding a steaming bowl of mixed grains and milk. There was a spoon and fork on the tray, which he proceeded to deftly pick up. He marveled at how dexterous his hooves were, digging into the meal. Even without meat it was delicious. 'Must be that horse brain talking.'

"You're in Ponyville," Nurse Redheart said. "We're right between Canterlot and Baltimare." She smiled and took the tray from him as he finished the last spoon full of the hot grain. "You're free to go," she said. "Twilight paid for your treatment in advance, so the receptionist will take your information before you leave." She placed the tray and empty Intravenous drip bag on a cart, helping him to his hooves. He took a couple of steps, finding it easy to walk if a little wobbly. "You should visit Twilight and thank her," she suggested. "She lived at the town library. Take a left when you get outside and follow the road to the hollowed tree." She pushed the cart away, disappearing behind a door.

Keith retrieved his belongings from the receptionist, finding his paper dollars were now gold "bits" and that his knife was now the "Appleoosa" Toothpick. Considering that most of the shops he passed were selling their wares for five or ten bits a piece, this much money would last him a decent amount of time. What he took as the library from Nurse Redheart's description grew closer as he approached the center square. It was a tree that was indeed converted into a house. It had balconies, windows and all the things you would think a house wood, it even had bird feeders and houses hanging from the branches. He walked up to the door, about to knock until the door opened to reveal the unicorn he had met when he first arived.

Keith yelled and jumped backwards in surprise, causing Twilight to exclaim and hide behind the door. Keith gathered his startled wits before talking. "Sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a hoof. "I was going to knock but you… yeah…" he laughed nervously, getting a look at the unicorn as she came out from behind the door smiling. She was what you would expect a unicorn to look like, though smaller in all dimensions. Keith held out a hoof, smiling back. "Sorry I was so out of it before. I'm Keith." Twilight hesitantly shook his hoof.

"It's ok, Really." She said, letting go of his hoof. "I'm Twilight by the way." She looked around him for something, obviously disappointed. "I was expecting you to be somepony else. I didn't mean to startle you." She moved aside, inviting him in. Keith thanked her, walking into the tree. Looking around, he realized that the nurse wasn't exaggerating. There were nearly three levels of book cases, stairs leading to each one with a catwalk before them. "Sorry about the mess," Twilight apologized, closing the door and levitating the books that were strewn around the center rug. "I was in the middle of research. So how can I be of assistance?" she asked, sliding the books into their places around the room. Keith continued to marvel at the living building, fascinated with the fact that a tree this size existed anywhere.

"I…came by…to thank you for… Wow…" He said, hesitating until his will gave in. It was almost as much to take in as the fact that ponies could talk here. Twilight called his name, staring at him as he looked around. "Sorry, I've just never seen a tree…house… anywhere quite like this place." Twilight giggled at his expression, slightly intrigued that he hadn't been anywhere like this. "I came by to thank you for bringing me into town. And paying the medical bill out of the kindness of your heart to top it off. I'm guess I'm just not used to anypony being so kind." He looked at Twilight, finding a confused look on her face.

"Where exactly are you from?" she asked, surprised that he hadn't experienced a common act of kindness. "I have no idea of a place in Equestria where you have to walk around armed to the hooves like you do." Keith realized he still had his blade strapped to his side. He gave a meek smile and took off the belt that held it on, setting it in the saddlebags he bought on the way here.

"I wander a lot," he explained. "And not everything is as kind as ponies are. I've had to fight my way out of more than one sticky situation." He walked up to a bookcase, finding the lettering in modern Greek. 'Lucky me,' he thought. 'I'm really glad I took those classes in college now.' Twilight walked up beside him, looking where he was.

"Would you like to check one out?" she asked, causing him to look her direction for a fraction of a second.

"No thanks," he said, turning his attention back to the book case. "But if you would, could you turn me in the direction of the nearest Motel? I'm kind of tired after coming all the way here and would really enjoy a good day or two of sleep and rest." He turned away from the bookcase, looking at the rest of the room.

"Um… Ponyville doesn't really have a motel or inn when a celebration isn't going on." She explained, watching Keith wander around the room. "Usually families with a spare room or two take money to let ponies stay there during big events, but those are usually filled most of the rest of the year by relatives." Keith nodded, obvious on his face that he was considering walking to the next town. Twilight thought for a moment, deciding it couldn't hurt anything. "But um… You could stay here. I have a basement that isn't being used right now, and I could have a bed set up rather quick."

Keith looked at her, not knowing what would be in it for her to offer her house to a stranger. "That's very nice of you, Twilight," Keith said, walking toward the door. "But I don't want to intrude, especially after all you've already done for me." He opened the door, standing in it. "But thanks anyway. I think I can make it to the next town on my own. It was nice meeting you." He stepped out pulling the door behind him until he felt stiff resistance.

"I insist, Keith," Twilight said, holding the door with magic. "It's no trouble, and I won't be taking any money either." She gave him a smile as he walked back in. "I'll just go set up the room for you. Wait here, it shouldn't be too long." She walked down the stairs, closing the basement door behind her.

Keith walked down into the basement, finding it fully furnished with a bed, nightstand, a small TV and a wireless radio. "Wow," He said, giving her a smile as she walked in behind him. "This is perfect. Are you sure you don't want my money?" she hit him on the shoulder with a hoof playfully, shaking her head. "Alright then," He said, walking over to the bed and sitting on it. "I guess I'll be up in the morning." Twilight wished him good night, climbing the stairs and closing the door behind her.

**Alright! First chapter is up, a helluva lot to go.**

**R&R please :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**MLP IS PROPERTY OF HASBRO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED**

Twilight walked out of the kitchen, the table set with food for dinner. She wanted to give him his first meal while staying in Ponyville. Well, first real meal. Hospital food didn't count in her opinion as a meal. She opened the door to the basement, walking down the stairs and knocking on the doorway frame before entering. "Keith, Are you awake?" She called in, waiting for a response. When one didn't come forth, she peeked in, finding him in a very fitful sleep. She walked up to the bed, worried he may be ill. "Keith, are you ok?" she asked, shaking his back leg gingerly. Keith kicked out, backing further onto the bed while staying awake. Twilight shook him again, this time with magic.

Keith woke up in full terror of his surroundings. He opened his eyes wide and bared his teeth, grabbing the blade he had stowed in-between the mattress and frame. He threw the knife across the room, imbedding it four inches in the doorway frame. Twilight screamed, backing away to the wall and ducking behind a table. Keith stood on the bed, panting from the fit. He looked around, finding nothing there besides a dead wall. He began to calm down, slumping on the bed and holding his temples. "Damn war…" he sighed, massaging his temples now. "Why the hell did it have to do this to me. I can't even get a night's sleep because of it."

He got out of bed, walking over to the wall his blade was dug into and pulled it out, running a strand of hair over it to make sure it hadn't lost its edge. "What in the name of Celestia was that about!" Twilight yelled at him, having come out from behind her hiding place. Keith jumped three feet in the air, dropping the knife behind himself. The blade stuck in the floorboards, the thunk the loudest thing in the room. "Why did you throw that knife like that? What war were you in? There hasn't been a war in Equestria in over a thousand years!" Keith looked at the floor, letting the scolding he deserved take place. "Wh… Who are you really?" She asked, her voice heated and scared.

Keith sat down on the floor, tapping the boards with his hoof. "Are you going to stand there or you going to sit down so we can talk?" Twilight stood fast, not trusting him anymore. Keith sighed, rapping the board hard with his hoof in frustration. "Ok, But your legs are gonna get tired." Twilight laid back her ears, trying to seem intimidating to the pony that was twice her size and able to throw a knife deadly accurate. "I'm not really a pony," he began, causing her to give him a very confused stare. "Well I am… but I'm not… oh hell." Keith laid down on his stomach, covering hie muzzle with his hooves. "I am physically a pony, but mentally I'm something else. And before you go saying I'm crazy, listen to what I have to say."

Twilight sat where she was, ready to try and remove that assumption. "Alright," Keith began, sitting back up. "I should by all rights be dead as that doorframe," he said, picking up the knife and tossing it onto the mattress. "But by some miracle, I'm here instead. And I'm very glad I am, by the way." He pulled his bags closer, pulling out a charcoal stick and a piece of parchment. He set the stick in his hoof, drawing out Leonardo Davinchi's famous rendering of the human form. He passed it to Twilight, who stared at it for a long time. "That is what I am, only less white and with straight hair. I was a human, but now I'm a pony. I fought in a war on the human world. It gave me a condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. When I sleep and dream of the war, I wake up scared for my life and ready to fight the first thing I meet to the death so I can run away." Twilight rolled up the parchment, sending it somewhere with magic.

"Ok, your argument seems valid." She said, surprising him. "The picture looks like a further evolved, fully upright ape. What out scientists believe would be the dominant species had ponies not discovered magic." She stood up, walking toward the door. "By the way, I thought I would make us all dinner tonight. If your hungry, come along." And with that she walked up and away. Keith sat there for a few moments more, feeling bad for not having told her beforehand.

"So what is it like?" Spike, a purple and green baby dragon asked across the table. he had to lean around a plate stacked high with gems to make himself seen. "Where you're from, I mean. What's it like?" Keith looked at him, chewing a bite of his salad. He looked directly across the table, finding Twilight still upset but also interested. He set his fork down and looked at them both in turn.

"Do you want to know the good, the bad, or the neutral?" He asked, getting the responses in a specific order from the baby dragon. Twilight nodded, confirming the order to her satisfaction. Keith sighed and thought for a moment, trying to break it down into digestible bits. "Either of you two squeamish?" he asked, getting noes from them both. "Ok then. Starting with the neutral. It's a lot like here. the same kind of animals and trees, but they're separated from each other by oceans and land formations. You don't find white tail deer and tigers in the same areas. As for magical creatures, we have no confirmed records of their existence. As for humans, their diet is about the same, but instead of eating iron rich vegetables they eat meat." Twilight let go of a shocked expression, while spike raised an eyebrow. "Their omnivores, like raccoons or chimpanzees. Now for the good about society. Human's as a whole are usually pretty peaceful. But that's mostly because not many are brave or dumb enough to try to overthrow a regime. And for the bad, humans are selfish, ego maniacal, get what's mine and screw the rest types of beings. They would rather stab their neighbor in the back for a little bit of money than do something honorable and worth while for a lot of it. They kill their own kind, sometimes by the millions at a time, and don't show a bit of remorse for it." Keith looked around the table, seeing the two shocked and slightly disgusted.

"But, then again. Even though war is a total chaotic hell, it is usually fought by a good power to take out an evil one for good. That was me when I was in." He spooned some of the dandelion soup into his mouth swallowing before continuing. "Though I didn't join to fight. I joined the army for the school money. What I really wanted to do was be a multi faith minister and a musician. I love music, I guess it's what kept me from going off the deep end a long time ago." Twilight pushed her plate away, having lost her appetite. Spike on the other hand shoveled gems in his mouth by the clawful as if he was watching a movie. "Well enough about me, what is this place like?"

The three of them talked into the night, at which point Twilight ushered spike off to bed. Through several complaints and arguments, she prevailed in getting him up the stairs and into his bed. Spike was asleep almost instantly, only keeping his eyes open long enough to locate his blanket. Twilight came down the stairs, quietly closing the door behind her. "He just too cute," she said with a short giggle. Keith smiled and walked with her to the rug in the center of the room, the unicorn pulling several books off of the shelves. "Alright," she said, opening a large tome and flipping through it to the page she wanted. "If you're truly here for good, I suppose you should be educated in our laws and customs. But first," she turned the book around, dropping it in front of him. it was a graph of the Greek alphabet. Only it was the old version. "This is our alphabet. Learn it before we can…" Twilight was cut off as Keith began to list off each letter by name, sound usage and meaning. When he stopped he gave her a smirk, amused that she was so surprised.

"I studied religion and music in college for six years Twilight," Keith informed her. "This alphabet is known on my planet at Ancient Greek." He took a piece of parchment and an inkwell with quill from the table, scrawling down some words and letters. "This is Modern Greek where I'm from," he said, turning it toward her. "It's a little more complicated than Ancient, but it seems you already use it daily from the books here. I'm literate, so just teach me." He gave her a kind smile, not meaning any disrespect towards her. Twilight overcame the surprise and smiled as well, giving him a book of common law and teaching him the standard of the land.

"So what you're saying," Keith said after they closed the book. "is that the law here is based off of the Good Samaritan principles and hospitality?" the unicorn nodded, bringing down a book of custom next. "This is much different than the normal society I was exposed to, but not so much from the society I grew up in." She gave him a sideways look, inquiring silently. "I am a native inhabitant of the land I'm from. My mother married an immigrant, giving me my green eyes. But they agreed to raise me among the tribal law and custom of the reservation. It's a lot like what's here, ponies helping ponies if they can."

"That's interesting," she commented, opening the book to the third chapter. She schooled him in custom next, teaching the ways and slang of the ponies to him. "Your custom is a lot like ours," she commented, closing the book and putting it away. "But your way of phrasing things are slightly different. Just use the things I've taught you and nopony will question you." She placed her hoof on his shoulder, smiling at him. Keith looked away out the window, staring at the moon.

"I would like to apologize," he said. looking back at her with a smile. "I really dislike deceiving anything, it isn't my way. I feel like I have to make it up to you some how." Twilight shook her head, declining the offer.

"You don't need to," She told him. "Just… don't sleep with the knife any more." She laughed nervously, remembering the near death fear she had during the earlier moment. Keith chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, apologizing again.

they got up from the rug, going back into the kitchen for coffee. "So what do you have planed for tomorrow?" Keith asked, taking the mug of steaming coffee Twilight offered him. She sat at the table with him, giving him a narrow eyed look.

"Why do you want to know?" She asked, letting the question rack his brain for as long as it would. Keith's eyes grew wide as he waved his hooves at her, stammering and swearing he wasn't asking for a date. Twilight giggled and set down her cup. "It's ok, I was just joking. Since it's the weekend tomorrow, me and the other girls had decided to go to the club for a night out." Keith gave her a strange look.

"You mean this place has a nightclub?" He asked, getting a nod. He hadn't thought a town this small would have one, but it wasn't the first time he was wrong. "What kind of club is it?" Twilight shrugged.

"A dance club," she explained. "It has a bar, dance floor, big stage. The usual things a club has, really. The music starts our upbeat with heavy bass and closes out slow and soft." She took a drink of her coffee before continuing. "There's a catwalk around the center room for ponies who want to just sit and sip their drinks, enjoying the music." She shrugged. "Or if you want to smoke and do other drugs. But I'm not much for that. I love dancing."

"Drugs?" Keith asked, surprised. "And everypony knows about the trade there?" Twilight nodded. "I'm surprised it hasn't been shut down. Where I'm from, if a club has drugs then they get canned." Twilight shook her head.

"Not here," she explained. "Almost all drugs are legal except the really hard ones. Methanphetamine and PCP are among them." Keith was surprised they had those here. "But the princesses abolished the drug laws, save the synthetic ones. Back about two hundred years there was a big drug problem. Crime was rampant and foals were getting hooked quick. So they did the opposite of what everypony thought was best and made them legal. Crime literally fell away and the trade brought in extra revenue for the royal coffers."

They made small talk the rest of the night before turning in. Keith laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Most likely another sleepless night," he mumbled to himself, taking the knife from between the mattresses and sliding it under his pillow. "Well, at least I will be able to fit in now without being arrested. I doubt I would do good in a dungeon." He rolled over, turning off the desk lamp before covering up with a thin sheet. He apprehensively fell into sleep, enjoying the nights dreams to his surprise.

"Twilight!" Keith called from behind the bathroom door. "Do you have any eyeliner?" She looked up from her book, a confused look on her face. Did he really just ask for makeup? Spike looked at her, Twilight nodding for him to go get the makeup she owned. He walked upstairs as she walked to the bathroom door, knocking twice. "Come in," Keith called out, giving her permission. She opened the door, finding him in front of the mirror cutting his mane to a more manageable length. It still reached his knees, but it was more level and neat.

"One question," She said as he brushed the hair on the floor into a manageable pile and putting it in a waste basket. "Why do you want makeup? I didn't take you as the type for anything less than studly." Keith laughed, running a comb through his mane until it was straight and then greasing it with petroleum jelly. 'Greased mane?' she questioned her mind, remembering a moment later he wasn't from Equestria. 'Probably goes with the makeup.'

"Where I'm from, the males wear eyeliner for parties sometimes." He explained, combing the extra jelly out and putting it in a separate jar. "The only ones who say anything against it aren't secure in their masculinity. Besides," He tossed his mane up and back, letting it fall in a heavy mess. "It goes with this." He gave her a smile, looking rather good in her opinion. It gave him a wild and untamed look. Spike came in and handed him the basket of cosmetics, complementing his hair.

"Nice do, brony," he said as Keith pulled down his lower eyelid and applied a light coating of liner to it. "That almost makes me wish I had a mane." Keith gave a chuckle as the dragon walked out, switching to the other eye. He blinked several times, letting his eyes moisten again. Keith turned his face in the mirror, checking for anywhere that wasn't even and fixing the ones he found.

"Perfect, just one more thing." He said, picking up a jar with a label on it. "Can I have a little of this?" He asked Twilight, getting another strange look. "Trust me, it works with the rest of it. and I also mean a very little, too much makes me look effeminate." She nodded hesitantly, passing a small brush to apply it with. She watched as he padded a small amount of glitter to his lower eyes and muzzle. She couldn't help but laugh at him, thinking he looked rather… well gay was the only word she could come up with.

"Are you trying to get a colt on your first night out?" she asked, getting a glare out of him. "I'm sorry, but you look really boy toy in that makeup Keith. Maybe you should take a little off. Like the glitter." She giggled behind a hoof as Keith rummaged in the bags in the corner, having gone out earlier for event clothing and other things he needed. He produced a flyer for the club, pointing to a line of words. "Open mic night?" She asked, getting a nod from him before looking at his flank. His cutie mark was a star in a circle outlined with five yellow flames. "Are you sure you can sing?"

Keith sighed and put away the flyer, picking up his bags and carrying them out. "You'd be surprised how much music goes into religion, Twilight." He put the saddlebags beside the basement door, sitting down and waiting until the other's were ready. "I also have six years of musical training, so I'm sure I'll do good." Twilight shrugged and walked up the stairs to her room, getting ready for the party. Keith sat there, mentally preparing for the stage until the door burst open and a pink pony barged in.

"Twiiiiiiliiiiiiight!" the pony yelled, bouncing around as four others followed her in. "Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready? Ooh, who are you!" She fired off rapidly, turning toward Keith as she finished. "I haven't met you before, and you know what that means!" Keith shook his head slowly, looking at the other ponies for an explanation. "That means I have to throw you a PARTY!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, bouncing around again. An orange pony grabbed her by the tail and pulled her back down, stuffing a hoof over her mouth.

"Sorry 'bout that," the pony said in a southern draw. "She's always like that, ya jus' gotta go with it." The pony held out her other hoof for a shake. "Ah'm Applejack." Keith shook her hoof, still confused. "This here's Pinky Pie," She said, pulling the energetic pink one over and letting her wave at him. "these mares are Fluttershy," She pointed to a yellow pegasus with a pink immaculate mane. "Rainbow Dash," She introduced next, a cyan pegasus with rainbow toned mane and tail waved and sat in a chair. "And Rarity," a white unicorn with a primped and perfected mane and tail waved at him with a wink. "Ah suppose y'all have already met Twilight, considerin' y'alls living here an' all." Pinky got away from Applejack, staring at Keith from the side.

"Can I help you?" He asked with a smile, looking at her. she stared at him, a small O on her lips. He leaned back, glancing at the others. "Yes Pinky Pie, what is it?" She cocked her head to the left, grinning at him.

"Your cute!" She exclaimed, smiling at him. Keith raised hie eyebrows, looking back at the others and seeing them giggling. "I mean like really cute. I bet Twilight is falling all over you." Keith blushed, glad his coat was red. Pinky bounced around the room. "I think you might even have Rarity looking at you!" Keith looked over at the white unicorn, seeing her turn away and cover her face. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were laughing at him and Rarity, finding humor in their embarrassment.

The door to the upstairs bedroom opened, drawing their attention. Twilight came down with her hair spiked up, Spike following in a small trenchcoat and shades. She stopped in the group of friends, Pinky popping up in front of her. "Hey Twilight, Are you letting Keith stay here because he looks good?" Keith's jaw dropped at the question, closing it before she looked at him wide eyed.

"No Pinky," She said, blushing from embarrassment. "I let him stay here because it's the right thing to do." She looked over at him, thinking he did look good in his get up. "I don't think He's that cute though." She lied, giggling as his ego took a blow. She looked at the clock. "Alright, we should get going if we don't want to stand in line for an hour."

Keith and the ponies stood near the front of the line, about sixteenth back from the rope. They had been making small talk until the bouncer pony came out. it was a large white pony, obviously a body builder type. The line moved much quicker, the ponies showing him their hoof and getting a stamp if they were under age. The Bouncer looked at Keith's hoof, obviously counting something and waving him on. He entered behind spike, who had gotten a stamp for being a baby dragon. The bass was thumping already, a white unicorn with violet shades and a two toned blue mane and tail spinning records for the growing crowd. The eight friends made their way to the bar, all but Keith and Rainbow Dash ordering Virgin drinks. Keith had about six shots of bourbon lined up before him, Dash sipping a gin martini. They sat and talked into the night, apparently more than one of them waiting to hear their new friend fly or fail on stage. "How do you all already know I'm performing tonight?" he asked, chuckling and tossing back a second shot.

"It's simple dear," Rarity said, obviously eyeing him behind his back. "You're done up in stage makeup. I doubt anypony would just wear that for a few drinks and a dance or two." Keith looked at her, not bothering to keep his hair out of his face. She blushed as he glared at her with a smirk, looking at her glass. "Maybe more obvious to me," She said, trailing off into a sip.

"So Keith," Rainbow Dash spoke up, already slurring her words from the drink. "When are you up on stage?" He looked at the pegasus, spying her wobble before spinning around on the stool and leaning against the bar for stability. "I'm dying to see you choke on the mic." Keith scoffed and shook his head, running over the lyrics out of nervousness. He had a small recording contract in high school for a pop group, but dropped out for college.

Just then, Vinyl dropped a record, setting the needle down. The stacks began to play a siren before she took the mic. "It's time to start the open mic event!" She yelled into the receiver, getting a roar from the club. "Our first singer is a newbie here, Give it up for Hart!" The spotlight panned over to the bar, resting on the chestnut pony. Keith picked up his fourth shot, turning around and throwing it back. He set the glass down and trotted up to the stage as Scratch set the track he had laid down backstage that day. Keith took the headset mic she offered him, standing behind the catwalk as the beat began, electronic songs playing in time. The room was dark, the strobes flashing with the beat and show lasers panning with the swooping notes.

Keith strutted down the catwalk to the beat. "So hot, out the box, can ya pick up the pace? Turn it up, heat it up, I need to be entertained. Push the limit, are ya ready, Baby don't be afraid. I'm ah hurtcha real good baby." The six ponies, especially Rarity and Twilight were shocked by how smooth his voice was. They followed his every move, watching in awe as the crowd ate up his performance. "Let's go, get the show, baby do what I say. Don't trip, off the bits, that I'm gonna display. I told ya, I'm ah hold ya down, until your ama-azed. Give it to ya till ya screamin my name." Keith hooked a hoof under a mare's chin as he said the line, sliding away with a flick of his mane. The mare melted under his tease, fainting into her friends hooves. Several of the ponies reached up to him as he walked down, begging for him to touch them also.

Keith pushed his voice higher, teasing the ponies as he strutted back and forth. "No escapin when I start. Once I'm in I own your heart! There's no way to ring the alarm. _So hold on until it's over!_" Twilight worked her jaw, searching for words but not finding anything. Rarity ordered a strong drink, sipping it as she enjoyed the stallion show. There was no doubt in her mind this was his night to shine above all the other ponies. "_OH!_ Do you know what you got into? Can you handle what I'm 'bout to do? Cause its about to get rough for you. I'm here for your _entertainment!_ _OH!_ I bet you thought that I was awfully sweet. You though an angel swept you out your seat. But I'm about to turn up the heat. _I'm here for your entertainment!_"

Keith had even the DJ blindly letting the prerecorded track play, Staring at the stallion as he strutted around and teased every single pony in the club. He turned sharply, standing on his hind legs and dancing suggestively. "It's all right, you'll be fine, Baby I'm in control. Take the pain, take the pleasure, I'm the master of both. Close your eyes, not your mind, let me into you soh-oh-l! Ima work ya till your totally blown!" Keith hopped down into the crowd, walking around the club and inciting a dance. "No escapin when I start. Once I'm in I own your heart! There's no way to ring the alarm. _So hold on until it's over!_" He jumped into the air, landing in a full split and rising out of it using his legs.

"_OH!_ Do you know what you got into? Can you handle what I'm about to do? Cause its about to get rough for you. I'm here for your _entertainment!_ _OH!_ I bet you thought that I was awfully sweet. You though an angel swept you out your seat. But I'm about to turn up the heat. _I'm here for your entertainment!_" He held the high note as the track played his recorded additional vocals and alterations. He touched several ponies, each falling in behind him as he strutted toward the bar. He gave Dash a smirk, taking Rarity by the hoof and leading her to the stage. Keith let her go and danced seductively before her, letting her composure melt into raw lust. "_LOVE! _Do ya like a-what ya see? WHO-_AH-OAH!_ Let me entertain ya till ya _SCREA-YEAH-YEAH-EAM!_" He touched her on the chest before finishing the high note, causing her to waver before the ponies caught her.

**a/n: Parentheses denote him singing actively during the recording. Back to the show then!**

Keith began bouncing as the record repeated the chorus, enticing the club into a rave. "_OH!_ Do you know what you got into? Can you handle what I'm about to do? (_Woah!)_ Cause its about to get rough for you. (_Rough for you!_) I'm here for your _entertainment!_ (Woah!) _OH!_ I bet you thought that I was awfully sweet (_BET YOU THOUGHT!)_ You though an angel swept you off your seat. But I'm about to turn up the heat (_Heat_)". _I'm here for your entertainment! (I'M HERE FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT!)_"

Keith panted and took off the headset, flipping his hair back over his left eye and tossing the headset onto Scratch's horn before returning to the stage with Rarity in tow. The crowd of ponies applauded and cheered him rabidly, demanding he comeback before the night was out. The spotlight fell on them as he helped the star struck unicorn into her seat, patting her lightly on the cheek and taking his spot between her and Rainbow Dash. "Fillies and Gentlecolts! Give it up for a spectacular performance by the newbie; Hart! And don't worry, he will be back before we all check out!"

Keith waved to the club as the spotlight left, turning back to the bar. "Hey Fizz," He called over to the bartender. "Pour me up a quart of dark lager, and give her something to fix that problem she has going on." The gray unicorn nodded, retrieving the tap hose and a quart Stein. Keith thanked him for the drink, adding the two shots into the drink. The bartender turned Rarity towards him, tipping a cup of lemon juice into her mouth. The Unicorn sprang back to life, spitting the sour juice back into the cup and shaking her head. "Welcome back," Keith said with a chuckle, quaffing his boilermaker as Dash laughed at Rarity. "Did you have fun in you little fantasy?" Keith asked her, getting a shy expression and a deep blush across nearly her whole face.

"That was not in the least funny, Keith," She scolded him, almost crying. Keith stopped mid gulp, almost choking after seeing the violent reaction his fun had on the mare. He set the stein down, preparing for the beating he deserved. "You used my emotions for a crowd pleaser!" She yelled at him, the rest of the room oblivious as Vinyl Scratch played a loud dubstep track. Rarity walked over to him, raising her hoof to slap him before hesitating. "You are the most…" She waved her hoof in the air, setting it on his cheek and kissing him deeply, slipping her tongue in before he could tell what was happening. She broke the kiss, giggling. "The most amazing stallion I have ever had the pleasure to meet," she finished, her tone husky and aroused.

Keith stayed in his stool, stunned and frozen as she returned to her seat and resumed her optical fondling of his form. AJ was the next one to talk. "Dad-gum Keith. Ah had no idea ya had such a voice!" Fluttershy nodded in agreement, hiding in her mane again. Keith looked at her out of the corner of his eye, slowly recovering from the stun of Rarity's kiss. "Y'all bout had me jumpin outta mah seat and rompin with the rest of 'em out there." She shook her head and took a sip of her whiskey and soda. "Ah never though I would wanna jump around ta that sortta music. And what y'all did with the crowd an' Rarity… Shew. That was a right good show you put on, partner." Dash nodded, punching him in the shoulder.

"For such a mild looking colt, you sure know how to party." She smiled at him, shaking her head. "And the whole teasing thing… I doubt we'll see another performer as good as you all night." She took a drink of her coffee, attempting to sober up before flying home. Keith found the compliments as quite a boost, until his gaze fell on Twilight. She looked shocked and surprised that he had that kind of ability over her friend. He asked her if she was okay, bringing her out of her suspense.

"Yeah," She said quietly, drinking her tea. "I'm fine. I just never thought you were going to be that good." She shook her head in disbelief that a human could manipulate other beings that easily. "you really surprised me there. I almost wanted to be the one you pulled on stage for a moment, that is until you left Rarity in absolute lockdown." She looked around him at the unicorn, causing Keith to look also. The pony was scanning him nose to hoof, lingering on his abs and chest longer than the rest. She didn't seem to care if anypony else was watching, as long as she could continue her silent observation. "Rarity?" Twilight called out, breaking her out of her trance. "Are you alright?" Twilight asked her, getting a nod.

"Yeah," She said, her voice seeming to be lost in a dream. "I'm only slightly distracted…" She let the consonant drift away, continuing to size Keith up. "I have and idea for an outfit that would fit your stage performance perfectly," She said, almost purring with delight. Keith blushed, hiding his face in his drink and grateful again that his coat was red. The music changed as another performance started, this time a rock and roll band played a party song with driving drums and guitar. Rarity continued to watch him, even after he left the bar to dance with Dash and Pinky Pie.

The night continued on in this fashion, the seven friends talking and drinking together. They occasionally left for a dance while a band or solo artist played their spot, returning to the bar and their drinks afterward to talk and laugh. Dash flew up to the catwalk around the club, coming back with a pipe and a few bits less in her purse. "I thought you might take a few hit's with me," She explained, filling the bowel with a herb Keith needed no help identifying. "Considering how rough your voice sounds right now and I'm sure you are going to get called up soon. I thought, since it kills pain, it might help." Keith laughed, glad that she had though about it.

"I can't take too much," He said, flipping his mane back out of his face and over his hair. "I don't want to get all goofy and mess up. Thanks for the thought though." He said, smiling as she handed him the pipe. He placed his hoof over the carburetor, inhaling to build up the smoke as she held the lighter to the weed. She let the flame go out, Keith still inhaling for another thirty seconds before emptying his lungs and letting go of the small hole. He inhaled again, taking in the smoke as deep as he could. He hand her back the pipe, holding his breath as she took her toke. He stared at the roof, watching the lasers and strobes flash as Scratch played another piece between shows. The ponies exhaled at the same time, feeling their heads rush from the THC releasing endorphins into their systems. Keith coughed and rubbed his mouth, blinking rapidly. "Oh gods…" He muttered, looking over at the pegasus. "What did you do, go cut this stuff yourself?" He suppressed a giggle, causing her to laugh and him lose his hold. They laughed together, feeling a bit higher than they though they would be. Keith gained control again just as Scratch finished the slowed trance track and letting the crowd give their applause.

"Thank you! Thank you all," She said into the mic, adjusting her headphones. "Alright then, we got three more performances before we close up for the night. But first, I would like to thank all of you for coming out and all the guest stars for playing for us." She motioned back stage for the performers that had finished their songs to come out. They all did, rearing up and joining hooves before bowing. The crown applauded them as they walked off stage, growing silent as Scratch brought out a guitar and a stool. She placed her mic in the stand and raising it to her height. "They've all been great, but I think I know why all of you haven't checked out already." The reply was deafening as they yelled his name. "That's right, you all fell in love with a certain nopony from out of nowhere. Give it up again for Hart and his slow song of the night!" The spotlight fell on Keith, causing his mind to clear instantly.

Keith walked onstage, picking up the electric guitar Scratch had agreed to reserve for him and plugging it into the amp. He lifted the mic stand to his height, sitting down on the stool. "How is everypony tonight?" He spoke into the mic, getting raised glasses and shouts of approval as Scratch led two other instrumentalists out. "This is a song that always reminded me of an ex-marefriend back home until I left. And last time I sang it on the road, I didn't feel a thing for her." He looked back as Scratch sat down at the drums, getting a ready nod. "This is my last song of the night, because I am high as a bucker right now." The club laughed as he chuckled, giving a few woots. "Alright then," he said, strumming the semi-acoustic guitar once. "This is called, Whattaya want from me. One, two, three…" Scratch hit the high hat and tom softly before he began singing, the other ponies falling into line.

"_Hey, slow it down. Whattaya want from me? Whattaya want from me? Yeah, I'm afraid. Whattaya want from me? Whattaya want from me?_" He strummed the guitar in the sound of the words. "_There might have been a time when I would give my self away. Oh, once upon a time! I didn't give a damn! But now. Here we are. So whattaya want from me? Whattaya want from me?" _He looked up as the song picked up a bit, finding the ponies al had their lighters out, swaying with the beat. "_Just don't give up! I'm working it out. Please don't give in! I will let you down. It messed me up! I need a second to breathe! Just keep coming around! Hey! Whattaya want from me? Whattaya want from me? Whattaya want from me?_" The song became quiet again, Keith finding the dance floor filed with ponies. Looking around, he didn't see a dry eye in the whole place. Even the bouncers were dabbing their eyes.

"_Yeah. It's plain to see. Baby you're beautiful. And there's nothing wrong with you. It's me. I'm a freak. But thanks for loving me. Cause you're doin it perfectly. Well there might have been a time, that I would let you slip away! I wouldn't even try! But I think you could save my life!_" Keith closed his eyes, fighting back memories of what almost was. "_Just don't give up! I'm working it out. Please don't give in! I will let you down. It messed me up! I need a second to breathe! Just keep coming around! Hey! Whattaya want from me? Whattaya want from me? Whattaya want from me?_" He played the guitar solo with the rhythm player, giving the song a sad tune.

"_Just don't give up on me,_" He looked back at the crowd. "_I won't let you down…. No, I won't let you down. Just don't give up! I'm working it out. Please don't give in! I will let you down. It messed me up! I need a second to breathe! Just keep coming around! Hey! Whattaya want from me? Just don't give up! I'm working it out. Please don't give in! I will let you down. It messed me up! I need a second to breathe! Just keep coming around! Hey! Whattaya want from me? Whattaya want from me? Whattaya want from me?_" The ponies applauded, some dancing slowly as he played out with a few riffs. He saw several ponies crying with their friends, including Applejack and Pinky Pie at the bar.

"Thank you. Thank you all," He said into the mic, setting the guitar back on its stand and standing up. He took a bow with the back up band before walking off stage and back to his friends, getting several addresses and phone numbers handed to him as he passed the crowd. He sat down with the six ponies, getting a glare from Spike. "What's up with you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and finding Rarity still staring at him. The dragon scoffed and shook his head, the glare never wavering.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" He asked, hopping down from his stool. Keith shrugged and followed the little reptile to the catwalk, finding it quite deserted now. He was about to speak but got cut off by the dragon. "What are you doing?" Spike asked, his voice surprisingly heated. "Why are you out there seducing half of the mares in Ponyville, Including Rarity?" The dragon loosed a huff of smoke, obviously pissed off. "you listen to me," He said, grabbing Keith by the mane and pulling him down to eye level. "She's mine, you got that pretty colt? She will be mine one day and if you get in my way I swear I'm going to beat you down to get to her." Keith couldn't help but think it was cute how the little kid was in love with the twenty four year old unicorn. Spike let go of him, walking back to the stairs and sitting down on a step. "you don't understand. I've been fighting to get noticed by her since I got here. then you show up and ever since she laid eyes on you I've been worse than ignored. He hasn't even heard or seen anything but you since we left the library." He snorted, another puff of smoke rising out of his nose.

Keith sat down next to him, chuckling as the dragon glared at him. "Well, I'm sorry bro. I never intended to steal you mare like that." Spike scoffed and looked down at the unicorn. She was stirring a fuzzy navel with a straw, talking to Dash and looking off into the distance. "But you want a little advice?" Spike looked up at him. "If a girl, mare or whatever you like doesn't take notice in you, she isn't just playing hard to get. She may actually think of you as just a friend." Spike was about to rebut but Keith stopped him. "Consider this before you get upset with me any more than you already are. Think of your age. How old are you?" Spike said three years since he hatched. "Ok. She's twenty four years old. I'm not sure how she thinks, but you may seem too young for her to see in a romantic light. I don't mean to be a bummer, but maybe your clawing up the wrong tree. I think of you as a friend, considering all you and Twilight have done for me so far. And I would hate to see you reach your goal of being able to ask her out, and fall after she turns you away. It's happened to me before, believe it or not, and I didn't get over it. I can still think back and see her face, and it still looks just a beautiful as the day I first saw it."

Spike looked up at the pony, seeing Keith lost in memory for a moment. Did he want to have that happen? If Keith was right and she did reject him, could he handle it even half a graciously as Keith did? It hurt to admit it, but maybe he was right. Maybe all of the nicknames and gifts Rarity had given him were just those and not tokens of affection like he though. "Maybe you're right," He said, standing up and walking a few steps down. "Maybe I should let her go and find a dragon my own age." His voice was somber and depressed, but slightly empowered by the advice Keith had given him. Keith stood up and picked the kid up by his spikes, setting him on his back and walking down the stairs.

"Just go ahead and ask her," Keith told him as he walked toward the bar. "Knowing and finding out early could be a good thing. Maybe she'll tell you she might have said yes if you were more her age." Spike nodded, his face determined. The dragon readied himself to confront his love as Keith arrived at the bar. Keith stopped in front of Rarity, getting an intrigued look from her.

"Oh, there you are Keith," She said, setting her drink back down. "We were just getting ready to go and couldn't figure out where you two went." She got down off the barstool, giving him a half lidded gaze. "Maybe you could stop by the boutique so I could take your dimensions." She said in a bedroom voice. Keith had never heard clothier talk used for seductive purposes, but she pulled it off. Spike cleared his throat, getting her attention.

"Um, Rarity," he said, his voice wavering. "C-could we talk on the way home. In private?" The unicorn blinked, nodding afterward. Spike climbed onto her back as she left the club, Rarity rubbing Keith under the chin with her tail as she passed him. The ponies finished their drinks, Rainbow excusing herself and flying off on her own towards her house. The rest of them walked out of the club, finding Rarity and Spike standing behind the rope. Keith walked up to the dragon and tapped him on the shoulder. "She's all yours," The dragon mumbled, sniffling and climbing onto Twilight's back. Keith watched him go, Twilight carrying him to the library. Keith sighed, shaking his head slightly and he watched the dragon begin to sob.

"Poor little guy," He said, watching them turn down the road to the library. "I doubt he's ever had a broken heart before." Rarity looked down, hanging her head in shame. Keith turned around to ask her what happened, but decided against it as AJ and Fluttershy walked out of the club with Pinky.

"Well, Ah ought ta be getting home. Ah bet Big Mac's got his hooves full with those three fillies t'night." She waved to the remaining ponies, walking towards the orchard outside town. Fluttershy squeaked, following her quickly. Pinky looked at the two, smiling.

"Have fun! Good night!" She blurted, bouncing off toward her own home. Keith watched her as she bounded down the road, ever confused by her and not expecting an explanation for her randomness. She disappeared behind a building, having turned down a road. Keith leaned his neck to the sides, popping the stiff joints before standing up.

"I should probably be headed home also," Rarity said, standing up and looking around the area. "I have an order to fill at the boutique in the morning. So I should get an good night's rest." She walked past Keith, trying to hide her despair from him. It failed, and she knew it.

"What happened?" Keith asked, turning around and stepping on the fringe of her tail to keep her from running from the question. "I want to know, and I'll be a damned fool if you say nothing. You two are two downtrodden for nothing to have happened." Rarity sighed, turning around and looking at him for a moment before looking away.

"Would you walk me home while I tell you?" She asked, being honestly innocent in her intentions. Keith let her tail go, following her as they walked through the town. They continued in silence, slowly plodding down the road for a minute before she spoke up. "I had no idea, truly no idea that he felt that way." She said, shaking her head. "It just never occurred to me. Maybe it was because he was just a baby, but it still feels shameful to be that insensitive." She kicked a loose pebble in the road, sending it across the road. "Do you think I am a bad pony for not reciprocating his emotions? Do you think it wrong of me for turning him away at every advance?" He looked at Keith, finding him staring at the stars and moon. She stopped when he did, looking up also.

"I don't think you are at fault," Keith told her, staring at the stars still. "He was madly in love with you, and he had never thought he might be turned away. It didn't matter if you had gently nudged the idea into his mind or not. He would still be just as affected by that than if you had broken him down and screamed it at him." Rarity looked at him, finding his eyes lost in the past. "I understand how he feels, and I wish I had done the same before I had made such a commitment to my childhood crush. She knew I loved her, and she played me for anything I could get for her. Then she pushed me away like she didn't know me at all." Keith pulled his gaze away from the sky and past, staring at the ground and letting the tears that had accumulated fall from their perch. "You did what was right if you didn't share a mutual feeling Rarity. In the long run, he will thank you for it." Keith continued forward, Rarity hanging back as his words sank in.

She trotted to catch up to him, slowing down until she walked beside him. "Do you think he will forgive me? Do you think the two of us could still be friends?" She asked, receiving a shrug.

"That's completely up to him," Keith said, looking at her. "He had to let his heart heal before he can decide to be anything more than an acquaintance to you again." They walked in silence until they stopped in front of her house. It doubled as her shop to. Carrousel Boutique was world renown for its quality and care. "I hate to ask this of you," Keith said as they stopped on the porch on her house. "But I think Spike would be happier if I wasn't there tonight. Would you mind if I stay here tonight? I could sleep on the couch or even the floor. It wouldn't be the worst place I've slept, trust me." Rarity giggled and opened the door, inviting him in and closing the door behind them.

**I just realized that I left spike out of MLZ completely… how careless of me…**

**Anyway the songs are For Your Entertainment and Whattaya Want From Me by Adam Lambert. Shut up, they're great songs! XD**

**PLEASE R&R! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**MLP is property of Hasbro and Lauren Faust. All rights reserved**

Rarity had set tea on to steep while they sat in the den of her house and talked. It was mostly small talk, but there were a few subjects of consequence. Spike was at the top of the list, coming up in the conversation quite regularly. "I didn't mean to hurt the poor dear," Rarity said again, staring at her hooves. "I just never saw him in that light." Keith nodded, understanding she really does care for him as her friend. "I just hope that he deigns fit for us to remain friends." A timer buzzed in the kitchen, signaling the tea was ready. She got up, telling Keith to sit down and arguing all the way to the kitchen that he was her guest and she wouldn't have it.

Keith sighed and leaned back in the corner of couch, crossing his back hooves and draping his forelegs over the arm and back. He laid his head back against the faux leather sofa, closing his eyes and watching the memories of the night dance along his mind. He must have stayed that way for quite a while, because he felt something pressing against his nose. He opened his eyes to behold a white and fat cat sitting on his chest, patting him on the nose with a paw. "Can I help you?" He asked the cat with a smile. The cat hissed and swatted at him, scratching his cheek before running off. "Ah! Shit…" Keith muttered, dabbing the wound with his hoof. He looked at the blood that had accumulated on his hoof, dripping down and blending with his fur.

"Opal!" Rarity yelled, setting the tray of tea down and scolding her cat. "You naughty kitty! How dare you harm a guest!" The cat hissed at her, getting a glare in return. The cat cowered, running away upstairs. Rarity turned back around, seeing Keith holding his hoof against the scratch to keep blood off her furniture. "I hope it isn't too bad," She said, walking over and attempting to pull his hoof away. Keith waved her off, confident it wasn't bad enough for medical tending

"Nah, I've had worse," Rarity persisted, pulling his hoof away and gasping slightly. Opalescence had done quite a number on him, the scratch was about half a centimeter deep and bled profusely for such a small wound. Rarity touched it gingerly, causing Keith to suck air through his teeth. He swatted her hoof away, biting his lip as the stinging began to fade. "Like I said, I've had worse." Rarity tutted, walking over to a cabinet and getting a scrap of cotton fabric.

"I dare say this might be the worst she's done to date," Rarity said, dipping the cloth in the boiling water on the tea tray. She daubed the wound, cleaning it off before pressing the dry half against it. "I am so very sorry she did this," Rarity apologized, letting Keith take the cloth from her. "That cat is nothing but trouble." She said, getting a ribbon so he could use his hands. She tied the blue strip of polyester around his head, keeping the pressure on the cloth. "You don't look like you've had worse wounds though," She commented, pouring him a cup of tea.

"Do I look that soft?" He asked, taking the cup. "I've been stabbed, shot, burned and blown up." Rarity started in shock at the thought, spilling some tea on her saucer. Keith brushed through his fur, exposing a scar on his chest. 'Of course I'm just a pony version,' he thought, staring at the two inch wide track of pink flesh between his floating ribs. "I was stabbed a couple of years ago there," He explained, searching on his shoulder for the scar he knew was there. "This is where I was shot," He brushed back the fur, exposing a lumpy circular scar.

Rarity had put down the cup and saucer, observing the healed wounds. Keith was looking over his flank now, slowly combing back the fur. Rarity watched the darkened skin as he did, leaning over to watch in morbid fascination. The large scar covered his entire flank, continuing halfway down his hind leg. "That is where I was burned by the explosion. It's still numb," He said, poking the area with a needle until a bead of blood bubbled up. "Not a thing. It actually kind of tickles…" Keith stuck the needle in his mouth, chewing on the tip.

"Where in Equestria did you get a scar like that?" Rarity asked as he took the needle out of his mouth, wiping the blood off his flank as it stopped bleeding. Keith shrugged, tossing the needle in a trash can.

"I don't like to think about it," He said, the most honest thing he could tell her right now. "It just goes to show that foals shouldn't play with chemicals." Keith took the bandage off his face, finding the scratch had stopped bleeding. He set the scrap of cloth in the trashcan with the ribbon, doubting she would use it now that it had blood on it. He touched the wound, the scratch sore.

"You should keep it on," Rarity chided, picking her cup back up. "It will scar if you don't. I doubt a scar there would be very attractive." Keith shrugged and took his cup, drinking it now that it had cooled some.

"I don't mind," he said before finishing the cup. "It wouldn't be the first," He smirked at the thought, shaking his head at the hidden humor. Rarity offered him more tea, but he refused. "No thank you. I'm already going to have a hard time sleeping." She nodded, taking the tray in the other room. She came back in a few moments later, covering a yawn with her hoof. "Are you tired?" Keith asked. She shrugged, sitting back on the couch.

"A little," She said, leaning on him. He hesitated, his breath catching as he realized her advance. It seemed innocent enough though, wanting a friend to be with after what happened between her and Spike. "I just need to close my eyes for a moment is all. I have to get on those orders first thing in the morning," She yawned again, cuddling up against him and resting her head on his chest. "I just want to rest for a little while is all. You don't mind do you?" Keith chuckled, laying his foreleg over her shoulder.

"I don't really have a choice," He commented, joking. "Considering you're already half asleep on me." Rarity smiled and nuzzled against him, tracing the scar on his ribs with a hoof. Keith noticed she was keeping time with his heartbeat, passing over it with each thump. 'Must be a pony thing,' He thought as she stopped and wrapped her forelegs around him.

"Would you sing me a song?" Rarity asked him as she closed her eyes. "It's alright if you don't want to." She clarified, sighing as Keith hummed softly in thought. Keith didn't think it would hurt, singing her to sleep. He had been worried all night that she was going to pounce him and take what she wanted, now glad that she was a mare of class. He thought for a moment more, trying to come up with one he knew well.

"Alright then," he said, the vibrations in his chest causing her to blush slightly. "Get comfortable I guess." She adjusted her hold on him, moving closer to his neck before growing still again. He tapped his hoof on the arm of the couch, keeping time with his memory. He started in a low tenor, his voice smooth despite the earlier abuse he had given it. "_All around me are familiar faces. Worn out places. Worn out faces. Bright and early for the daily races. Goin' nowhere, goin' nowhere. And the tears are filling up their glasses. No expression, no expression. Hide my head, I want to drown my sorrow. No tomorrow, no tomorrow._" Rarity nuzzled against him, finding his voice like the feel of silk.

"_And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I'm dyin' are the best I've ever had. I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take. When ponies run in circles it's a very, very… Mad world… Mad world…_" Keith could tell she was falling asleep. Her grip had loosened and her breathing slowed. She had become less tense and her heart became softer on his side. "_Foals waiting for day they feel good. Happy birthday, happy birthday. Made to feel the way that every foal should. Sit and listen, sit and listen. Went to school and I was very nervous. Nopony knew me, nopony knew me. Hello teacher, tell me what's my lesson. Look right through me, look right through me…_"

"_And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I'm dyin' are the best I've ever had. I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take. When ponies run in circles it's a very, very… Bad world… Mad world…Mad world…Mad world!_" He let the soft note fall out as it would, hearing her snoring slightly in her sleep. He smiled, finding the unicorn rather cute when she was asleep. "Good night," He whispered, sighing quietly and getting comfortable on the couch.

Keith walked down the road toward the library, having been ushered out of Rarity's boutique when they woke up so she could "Get in the zone" as she put it. He walked past the back of the club, hearing a rather heated argument between some ponies. He approached the alleyway behind the building, a gray stallion with a mohawk style mane walking out angrily with Vinyl scratch walking out behind him ending their argument with, "If you think you can walk out before tonight and still have a job you're bucking wrong! You're fired! You hear me? Fired!"

The stallion gave her a very rude gesture, getting a trashcan lid thrown at him. The stallion ducked, running away as she picked up the can and threw it a him. Keith walked up and leaned on the wall, watching the argument with gusto. He missed TV shows like this, and it was quite amusing. Scratch stomped, huffing in anger before turning to walk back inside. "Oh," She said, surprised to find the stud from the night before leaned against the wall. "You didn't see that, did you?" She asked with a grin and a sideways glance, waving him to follow her inside. They walked behind the club, Scratch opening the door with her magic. "That idiot," She said as he walked in before her. "The hay does he think I am?" She trotted past him, leading them into the main room.

"His ex-employer?" Keith asked, tossing his still greased mane back out of his face. Scratch laughed, walking behind the bar and pulling out a couple of cups. She filled them with a light beer as Keith sat down, passing one to him. "At least I'm still funny," He said with a smile, taking a drink of the beer.

"So did you get some last night from Rarity?" Scratch asked, leaning over the bar and waving her glass around. Keith choked on the brew, coughing and blushing in embarrassment. Scratch jabbed his foreleg with a hoof, smirking at him as he finished coughing. "I gotta ask, how is she? I've been barking up those thighs for a year and I never got anywhere." Keith laughed, waving his hoof.

"I didn't even try," He said, taking a drink. "I was a little worried she might pin me down and take it if I let my guard down. I just ended up singing her to sleep at her request." Scratch's jaw dropped at Keith's denial of laying a fine mare.

"You are bucking kidding me!" She exclaimed. "You turned down that fine tail?" He nodded, setting his glass down. "Ok, either your gay and like to tease, or not into sex at all." She giggled as he laughed, drinking her beer. "No really. I thought it was just a pretty colt getup to get laid, but I'm having second thoughts brony." Keith wiped his mouth with the back of a hoof, adjusting his stool lower.

"It's not that," He said. "Her and Spike had a falling out after they left the club. And considering I was on her mind and not him, he was more than upset with me. I just stayed on her couch so I wouldn't wake up with a ruby imbedded in my chest." Scratch let her jaw hang loose as Keith chuckled at his joke.

"You're kidding me," She said. "I would have taken advantage of that in a hoof beat, brony. You are just so…" She waved her hooves around, searching for words.

"Hot? Sexy? Down right irresistible?" Scratch blushed, her white coat betraying her to its full extent. "Yeah, I got that all the way back to the bar after my second performance." He set the stack of napkin fragments that had numbers and addresses on the bar. Vinyl was stunned by the amount, almost being four inches high. "I had no idea the ponies here had an itch for singers like me." Scratch was sifting through them, names coming to mind on a few.

"This is unbelievable," She said incredulously. "You may be the single most popular performer to grace my club. This one here," She said, sliding an address across the bar. "This pony's a lesbian. I bucking swear brony. You left them wanting you all night with the first show. Even I had eyes only for you during your strut." She shook her head and poured them another beer. "you have no idea how easy you got it here." Keith looked at a few of the names on the napkins.

"Well," He said, putting them away. "I could be persuaded to keep coming back." He tapped his hoof on the counter, picking up his drink and downing it. "I took six years of musical training, so my talent is going to waste. And I heard tell you are out a regular act." Scratch stared at him, moving her hoof over the rim of her glass. "So whattaya say. Want to hire me?"

Scratch picked up her glass and downed it, putting both of them in the sink behind the bar. "Go home," She began. "Get a shower and clean up, then go to bed. You're on tonight at eight." She walked him to the door, sending a pony backstage for something. "I want you to sing them into your hooves all night. Here," She said, putting an acoustic guitar in his hooves. "There's your advance. Remember, eight tonight." And with that she closed the door. She turned around and leaned on the door, sighing. "Damn, he's so bucking hot…" she mumbled, fanning herself with a hoof.

Keith held the guitar, still facing the door. 'Did I just get a job?' he asked himself, staring at the guitar before slinging it across his back. He beamed with joy. Not only had he got a job, but he got a free guitar to write with. Keith walked back along the road, getting waved at by nearly every mare on the street. He waved back meekly, trying to avoid confrontation with the colts that glared at him. 'Great, two days here and I'm already pissing ponies off…' the library loomed closer, Keith looking forward to his first night on the job. A pony with a brown coat and a blond mane and tail stopped in front of him. "Can I help you?" He asked, stopping and looking at the pony.

"Um… Hi," The mare said. "I… I liked your show last night," She said, obviously nervous. "I'm… um… I'm Carry." She said, holding out a hoof. Keith shook with her, telling her his name. "W-would you like to get something to eat later?" She asked, looking back at the four other ponies down the road. they were giggling and gossiping among themselves. Keith looked past her and waved to the ponies, causing them to blush.

"I would love to," He said, returning his attention to the Carry. "But I just got an offer to play at the club permanently and I have to get some sleep." The mare nodded meagerly, turning around and starting off toward her friends. "But maybe tomorrow?" Keith said, trying not to give her the impression he was a jerk. The mare turned around, smiling and giving him a quick nod before trotting up to her friends. They gasped and giggled, bouncing around excitedly. 'What just happened,' he thought, walking up to the door of the library and walking in.

Keith ducked as a book flew at him, followed by Twilight walking up rather angry. "Where were you?" She asked in a tone that bespoke anger. "Did you go home with Rarity last night?" She asked again, angrier than the last time. Keith ducked and ran to the basement, Twilight barreling after him. He would have faced her there, but he would rather be where there were no books to be thrown. "Stop! Now!" She screamed at him, causing him to freeze in terror. He turned around, seeing the unicorn's horn begin to glow. "You royal ass," She growled at him, launching another book at him. Keith ducked the projectile, standing his ground as she began to walk towards him.

"You found out that Spike had a crush on her," She said, launching his saddlebags next. Keith let the blow land, not flinching. "And then you tell him to confront her about it. I can not believe you!" She yelled at him, sending a price of a brick his way. Keith ducked this one, missing being struck in the head by an inch. "Did you even think it might hurt him to find out?" She asked. Keith was about to explain to her but was cut off. "No, of course not! You had your own gains to worry about! You wanted him out of the picture so you could sleep with her and not worry about offending him!" She picked up the bed behind him, dropping it on him. Keith pushed it off, finding his strength better than it was before. "You're right, you know? Human's are conniving, slimy little weasels and would rather hurt their friend than help them! I don't even know why I though you might be different from what you told me!" She sent the small TV at him next, slamming it into his side and causing him to fall over. She walked up to him, staring down at him. "I don't care what your excuses against it are. I want to know if it was worth losing my limited trust for you. Well? Was it?"

Keith staggered to his feet, wincing as his side protested at the upright stance. He sighed and began to talk again, stopping to see if her rant was over. "I didn't sleep with her," He said quietly. "She asked if I would several times, but I turned her down because of that." Twilight narrowed her eyes, not believing him. "Ok, I did sleep with her. But for Gods fucking sakes Twilight, I'm still getting over the fact that the dominant species on this planet are equines! Where I'm from, having sex with one can get you landed in prison or shunned from all forms of society. Do you really think that after only a day and a half I would want to do away with all of my ingrained mental morals? I would have no sooner slept with her than you would with me." He sat down, finding the position easier on his bruised ribs. "So If you would, please stop throwing things so I can perform at the club like I'm supposed to do tonight." Twilight scoffed and walked around the room until her temper cooled. "The reason I didn't come home was to give you two a little time alone. I guess I was wrong to think about his feelings towards me too, huh?" Keith spat at her, flipping the bed back over and righting the mattress.

Twilight huffed and walked to the door. "You want to play hard ball? Well so can I. Your rent is two forty a month." And with that she walked out, the outside door slamming above. Keith flopped back on the bed, pissed at the world. He pulled his knife from the floorboards, flipping it pommel to point in his hoof.

'Well… you've pissed off your land lord,' he thought, balancing the twelve inch blade on the tip of a hoof. 'Again,' he tossed it into the air, watching it tumble up. He counted the revolutions, timing its descent from the apex. He held his hoof out, snatching the tip and launching it into the wall. The blade sunk into the mortar between two slabs of stone. 'Just another person you've upset, no big problem.' He sighed, staring at the ceiling. 'But it was the first one to show you any kindness without reason…' Keith stared at the blade across the room, the light from the incandescent bulb casting shadows under it. It resembled a crucifix, standing on a hill. 'So are you going to let this friend get away, or you going to try and salvage them from the shambles of your argument?' Keith huffed in exasperation, fed up with what he had come to accept as normal. It was time for a change, but it needed introspection on everything he believed.

Keith came out of the basement, walking into the main room toward the exit. "Where are you going?" A familiar voice asked. Keith stopped short of the door, looking across he room at the dragon that questioned him. "I've only seen her this pissed once, and it's better to let her go steam." Keith nodded, walking away from the door. He sat across from Spike, who was reading a book at a small table.

"I'm sorry," He said, not expecting Spike to believe him. "I really am. I had no idea that it would be that bad for you." Spike shrugged, turning the page.

"It's not your fault," He said, not looking up from the book. "I had been thinking she didn't care in that way for a while. I guess I just needed a little push to finally go through with it. I don't blame you for her not feeling that way about me, but I was worried when you didn't come home last night," He closed the book, taking it to a shelf and putting it back. "Not nearly as worried as Twilight was though," He added, looking through the titles. "She was rambling on about you having gotten lost or into trouble." Keith was surprised by the fact, not having expected it from the unicorn that could have killed him if his reflexes weren't quick enough. "I heard you two arguing." He admitted. "I wasn't eavesdropping, you two were just that loud. I wouldn't have minded if you had slept with Rarity, really. She's a beautiful mare. I think Twilight was the one more hurt by the thought. She cares about you more than you think, despite how sharp her tongue was earlier."

"It wasn't just her tongue that was sharp," Keith said, remembering a scrap of rebar in the brick she threw at him. "I thought she was about to gore me with her horn for a second." They both chuckled at the joke, relieving the tension from the argument. "Hey, you know I wasn't trying to steal her from you, right? I just wanted to help you help yourself." Spike nodded, pointing to the door.

"Twilight went out to talk to Rarity, get her side of the story and all," Keith felt a spike of worry hit his heart. "I wouldn't worry though, she isn't one for fanciful tales that almost happened." Spike turned around, another book in his claws. "If you want to go out, I won't stop you. Just lock up, I'm still a kid." Keith chuckled at the joke, nodding and heading to the door. As the lock clicked Spike set down his book, opening the cover and finding a page he was looking for. "He's gone," He called out, the upstairs door opening slowly and a downtrodden Twilight walking out. "For all your brains Twilight, you can be way to hasty." She sulked up to the podium she read from, not getting a book. "Thanks for listening to my suggestion, by the way."

Keith walked through the gates of Ponyville, heading out to a field he had seen from the edge of town the day before. If he was going to start over from scratch here, he had to reprogram his mind. This required inward thinking, and meditation was the best way he knew for it. he walked along the road, taking off from the beaten path into the field. It was wide, open and had a few lone trees widely spaced apart. A firm wind blew across it, whipping his mane around his face. It was a good place to think in his mind. It was calm by nature, while the blowing and twisting wind gave it a slight sense of chaos. He found the rise he was looking for near the center, a lone oak tree atop it. he walked up under the tree, staring up its sixty foot trunk. 'I wonder if I can change anymore,' he thought, rearing up and propping his hooves on the trunk as he gauged the distance to the first branch. 'I changed after I was broken, fixing the flaws,' he jumped, grasping the branch and clamoring up onto it. 'I changed when the war started, changing again when I began running. I'm not sure how many more changes I have left,' He sat down on the branch, facing Ponyville. He could see the whole spread. There was the library in the square, town hall a little farther north, to the north east was Sweet Apple Acres, on the south side was Carousel Boutique, and on the west edge of town was Sugar Cube Corner. Out side of town was a small glade with a dot of crystal blue water, a cottage that from what Keith heard Fluttershy lived in. On the opposite side was a cloud shaped like a house, obvious to Keith that Rainbow Dash lived there from the rainbows pouring off the sides.

He leaned back against the trunk of the tree, finding a comfortable spot before closing his eyes. He looked back on all that he perceived as right and wrong, throwing most of them out and keeping a few. He would kill to protect what he loved and the greater good. But no longer would he turn away someone for petty reasons, no longer look down on something without reason. Now his morals came into question, finding most of his beliefs pertaining to his concept of ethics. He still believed gods exist. He believed that one being created the universe, leaving it afterwards to grow or fall as it would. But believing that one species could be the only thing in it with intelligence had been tossed out the window a couple of days ago. He had to eliminate almost all of them, redirecting his mind to a life as an intelligent pony.

Twilight walked down into the basement, taking a look at the aftermath of her and Keith's argument. There was a shattered TV, shards of glass and plastic all over the floor. In a corner was a chunk of the bedpost and beside it were the remains of the brick she threw at him. Keith's knife was sunk into the mortar of the wall next to the door. "He must be angrier than I thought," she muttered, pulling on the blade but getting nowhere with it. "And stronger…" She shook her head, laughing under her breath as she levitated a broom from the cabinet. She swept up the glass from the tubular television, following it with the brick. She gasped as she found the four inch piece or rebar in the rubble, frowning and picking it up. She looked at it, her horn glowing as she thought. He averted her eyes, looking at the knife again. 'Good looking, caring for his friends, confident if cocky, but he has the brawn to back up his talk I guess…' She sighed and looked back at the piece of steel in her hoof, finding she had subconsciously changed it. It had been flattened and shaped, the pigments that lay dormant having been awakened. It was a memory from last night of Keith performing. It showed him in a fanciful light, more refined than he was. He was wearing a blue outfit, sharp angles all over it. Instead of Rarity on stage with him, it was…

Twilight frowned and threw it in the waste basket, huffing in frustration. 'I do not like him that much,' she thought. She levitated the piece of wood and returned it to its place, melding it seamlessly with the bedpost it came from. Twilight took the sheets off the bed, balling them up tightly and tossing them in the wash bin. She was about to replace them with new ones but found a pad of paper on the mattress, a fountain pen slipped into the spiral bindings on top of it. 'He keeps a diary?' she thought to herself, picking up the pad of paper and covering the bed with the sheets. She looked at the front cover, finding it scrawled on in a strange language. "Translate…" she whispered to herself, concentrating on the spell she had memorized. The words shifted in her vision, the alphabet she understood laying above the strange letters. 'A Dream Journal?' she questioned herself, setting it down.

She hesitated with pulling her hoof away, her curiosity swelling like a balloon. She picked it up again, opening it and using the spell. The letters shifted, her alphabet covering them in her eyes once more. She looked at the dates first. "April, May, June… What are these names?" Twilight said to herself, looking at the door to make sure Keith hadn't come home. She continued to read the dates, finding they changed from the strange names and into an amount of days. "Day one, Day two. It must mean how long he has been here," She concluded, finding day two as the last entry. She sat down, looking at day one's entry.

Day one…

_I woke up here in this place where talking animals are the smartest things. It's fucking crazy, I feel like I'm in a damn Disney movie. I had my first night's sleep here, although I almost skewered my first contact from the damn disorder. _

_I dreamed of home, back before it all fell apart and I was still naïve. Mom and dad were sitting at the table, eating some ice-cream and drinking together while was I making my initiation bow. I was almost a man, and still too young to be a brave in the tribe then. I showed it to my mother, letting her test the tension before I decided to call it finished. She gave me a nod and a pat on the shoulder, giving it back. I must have done a good job this time, cause I remember I made failures the first four times. Each time she would test them and every time the middle would burst out. Oh that made her so mad when it did, not at me though._

_Then it changed._

Everything became dark and covered by a black haze. Mom and dad started arguing, screaming at each other. I just stood in the door way, my rucksack and BDU on while they argued. I spoke up, not being able to remember what I said in the dream. Mom broke down into tears while dad just shook his head. Then I found myself holding a gun at them, holding down the trigger until the ammo ran out. I tried to stop myself, but I couldn't. I could only watch as the bullets cut them down, watch their blood spray into the black haze. Then I saw myself standing in the middle of Ponyville, the town I'm in now. I was human again, but I was still in my marine uniform. I was crouched on top of a mound of ponies that I guessed I had killed with that damned machine gun. I wanted to throw it away, but I just picked up the severed head of a child and smiled at it. I tried to drop the head but I began laughing at it. I tossed it into the air, firing at it with my gun until it became a cloud of blood. Then I set a charge under the bodies, walking away to the distance safe enough so I wouldn't catch any bone fragments. I pushed the button, the explosion filled with burning bodies and charred dirt. I was trying so hard to stop my self, but I gave in a while ago. I just let it happen now, trying to ignore the images.

Twilight stopped reading, closing the pad and shaking in horror. What he had written… Could It really have been what he was dreaming of when she woke him up? She didn't want to read any further, but her curiosity had he by the tail. She opened the pad again, finding where she had left off.

Then the darkness that clung to the distance closed in around me, a voice like dripping honey filling my ears. It said the first things that I could remember the whole night. It said, "You don't belong here. You are a wolf among the sheep. You could better yourself by finding me. I can help you get home if you will help me get free. Just go to the mountain near…" and then I woke up, finding my knife imbedded in the wall and myself exhausted. Apparently Twilight had found me in a fit when she came to ask if I was hungry and woke me. I'm really glad she did, and that I didn't hurt her before I came too. It would be a shame if I did. She's too kind for me to live with myself afterward if I did. I think she might be the one to finally bring me out of my hardened coating. A coating of cordite and dried gore. And for a pony, I have to admit she is quite beautiful.

Twilight didn't know much about dream interpretation, that had always been her father's specialty. From what he had told her about his disorder, it may have been a memory twisted by his arrival here. Possibly the human's being switched with ponies. She closed the note pad, taking a piece from the back and the fountain pen. She wrote a short note, explaining her apologies for reading his journal. She went about cleaning up the rest of the room afterward, finding an acoustic guitar in the corner. 'It must be an advance from the club,' she thought, lifting it with magic and looking it over. She had always liked the sound of a guitar, but never had the talent to learn how to play one herself. She sighed, setting it down and finding the clock at three thirty. 'The club opens at nine,' she thought. 'I should go bring him back.' she walked toward the stairs, stopping and bringing the guitar to her.

When Keith reopened his eyes it was past noon, the sun on it's decent as he watched. Judging the shadow of the tree it was around four o'clock in the afternoon. Keith sat up, his muscles cramped and stiff from sitting on the branch for so long. "I fucking hate doing this," he groaned, standing up and stretching on the two foot wide branch. His back and knees popped loudly, getting a sigh of relief from him. He was about to jump down, but was stopped by the sight of Twilight below him. He waved her to the side, not getting a response. "Hey," He said, noticing what was on her back. "Why do you have my guitar?"

Twilight looked at the instrument and back to him, shrugging. "It's almost four," She announced. "I came out to bring you back so you won't be so tired tonight. I know you have to work at the club at nine, so…"

"Eight," Keith corrected. "It opens at nine. I have to get there at eight to set up for the show and get all my stage stuff on. Besides," He said, running down the trunk and sliding to a stop beside her. "I think I'm going to take it slower tonight, not tease so many mares." He gave her a slight smile, getting one in return. "Look, I'm really sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have sniped at you like that." Twilight waved her hoof.

"No," She said. "I should be sorry. I didn't think about what you're used to when a friend has a hard time. And I shouldn't have thrown that brick, or the books, or the bed…" She trailed off, taking the guitar off her back and giving it to him.

"Or the TV," he said with a nervous chuckle. He fidgeted, never comfortable making apologies.

"And for reading your journal," Twilight confessed, lowering her head. Keith looked at her in surprise. "I found it when I was cleaning up the mess and I couldn't help myself. My father tried to teach me Dream Interpretation, but I never got it down. And I guess my curiosity got the best of me." Keith shook his head.

"I don't mind if you read the dreams," he clarified. "They're just that, dreams. What I'm wondering is how you can read the English alphabet. That's what I write in considering Lakota doesn't have a written one. I didn't think English existed here." Twilight held up a hoof.

"It doesn't," she explained. "I used a universal translation spell. Nopony knows how it works, it just does. It shows you what it would say in the Equestrian Alphabet. Maybe it was easier because your English comes from a world with it." Keith shrugged, amazed that magic could alter the physical in this world. Twilight scuffed a hoof on the ground, obviously nervous. "D…Did you mean everything you said in the journal? Even the flavor text before and after?" her mind kept flashing back to the post script of the entry she read, forcing back a blush.

"Ye…" Keith began but stopped, realizing what she meant. He didn't think it was of any real consequence, commenting on the fact that she was rather good looking. "Yeah, I did. And you are beautiful Twilight." He started to walk back toward the road but was stopped by Twilight. She held onto his shoulder, not letting go when he pulled away slightly. Keith turned around, facing her. "You want to say something," He declared. "Be sure it's really what you want to know Twilight." She let go of him, stepping closer.

"I…" She hesitated, lowering her face. "I shouldn't have let my emotions get so out of control. I let my feelings get the better of me, and I almost hurt you. Can…" She hesitated again, looking up at his face. There was a slight smile on it, his eyes soft yet still firm. "Could we start over? I think we might have gotten off on the wrong hoof, and I would like to if we could." She looked away, hiding the blush she knew was creeping up on her. Keith chuckled, watching the sure minded pony become confused and nervous.

'Maybe,' he thought, watching the way her strong exterior had faded to reveal a soft under layer. 'Maybe she can. But could I?' Keith sighed and sat down, holding his guitar upright. "That's not what you want to know, is it?" He asked, giving her a mischievous look from the corner of his eye. Twilight looked up, stunned and blushing that he had found out so easily. "I meant everything I wrote down Twilight. Everything." She looked down, still caught up in embarrassment. "I just destroyed everything I thought I knew so I could live here and not be awkward. So I think I might need somepony to show me how to live again." He touched her on the chin, lifting her view from the ground. She stared at him with wide eyes, blushing harder. "And apparently that still works," he commented, chuckling as she blushed further.

"I… I could help, I guess," Twilight said, looking into his eyes. She had never noticed them before. They were a deep green, almost like the color of a holly leaf. They were circled by an even darker green that was almost black and were filled with lighter flecks of color. She found herself being drawn closer to them, trying to fall into the depth. "If you would let me…" she said, her words falling off as she stopped moving about an inch away from him. "Please…" She whispered, closing her eyes so she could escape whatever spell he had over her. She felt him kiss her on the cheek, hearing him stand up.

"We should start after I get home from work then," Keith said, watching her stand there blindly. He walked closer, placing his lips next to her ear. "If you aren't to tired," He whispered, getting a shiver from her. "Then maybe we could cover multiple topics." Twilight whimpered as he pulled away, never having been teased in that manner by anypony before. She wanted nothing more than to tackle him right then, take what her body demanded. But she fought to control her wild side, trying not to jump into something to deep. She opened her eyes, finding him looking at her still. She tried to speak, but the only thing that came out was a mudslide of jumbled and disarrayed words. Twilight put a hoof over her mouth, Keith smiling at her. "You know, you're actually really cute when you're confused." He said, motioning with his head toward town. Twilight walk up next to him, keeping pace beside him.

**OMIGISH! Its too cute… /)^3^(\**

**Anyway, here's chapter three. Sorry for the delay. If I didn't have to birth two horses and four cows in the time span of three days I would have had it up on Saturday, but here it is. Yes I work on a farm. Please review. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**MLP is property of Hasbro.**

Keith Sat up in bed, his alarm clock going off on the nightstand beside him. He tossed his mane out of his face, dropping a hoof on the clock to silence its ringing. "I'm up, I'm up," He said, annoyed at the device. He got out of bed, walking up the stairs and following his nose to the kitchen. Something delightful was cooking, and he wanted to know what. Entering the main room he ran face to face with twilight, being struck with her horn. They both fell back, landing on their haunches and muttering assorted curses. "Sorry about that," Keith said, slightly groggy still. Twilight waved her hoof.

"No, my fault," She said, standing back up and helping him to his hooves. "I was just on my way down to get you. You have time to eat right now, but the club opens in an hour and a half." Keith nodded, following her into the kitchen and being ushered into a seat. She went about the area, spooning eggs onto his plate and topping them with buttered toast. She poured him some coffee and handed him the sugar bowl and cream, which he took.

"Wow," He said, looking over the meal. "Moonlit breakfast. You'd think we were married," He joked, taking a bite of the eggs. Twilight giggled to herself, filling her plate and sitting down at the opposite side of the table. "Mmm, this is good," Keith complimented between bites.

"Thanks," Twilight responded, digging into her own food as he covered a piece of toast with eggs. He set another piece on top, eating it like a sandwich. "You know, you don't have to eat so fast," Twilight commented as he nearly choked. Keith coughed, taking a drink of coffee.

"Yeah," He relinquished, taking another bite of his already half gone egg sandwich. "But I need to get over to the club and talk to Vinyl about when I go on." He finished the sandwich, lifting the plate and scraping the food into his mouth with a fork. Twilight ate at a constant pace, trying not to laugh as Keith continued to choke on the food.

"You really should slow down and enjoy it," She said. "It's a two minute walk to the club and you have twenty minutes until you're supposed to be there." Keith gave in, slowing down. "So, how do you think the crowd will turn out tonight?" She asked, taking a drink of her tea. Keith chuckled to himself, finishing his bite before talking.

"After last night," He said, shaking his head. "You would be hard pressed to find a pony at home." Twilight raised her eyebrows at his confidence, then remembered how he had caused Rarity to melt. "I expect there to be twice as many as last night, if not the whole town. Too bad though," He said, taking another bite of his food. "I do not plan on doing that again anytime soon," Keith confessed. "Well… Maybe next weekend," Twilight giggled, finding the comment funny. Keith smiled at her reaction, glad she wasn't upset with him anymore. Keith stood up and took his plate to the sink, having finished his food. He sat back down, sipping his coffee.

"What are you planning on playing tonight?" Twilight asked, get a 'why' look from him. "Incase I decide to stop by. I might even bring Dash, she never has anything to do at those hours other than make trouble." Keith shrugged, taking another drink before speaking.

"It all depends on what type of crowd there is," He said. "If it's mostly mares, it will be something like last night. If its colts, then something with more classic instruments. Maybe a rock song or metal bit. And if it's mixed, probably a middling sound. Upbeat with even tempo instruments." He finished the last of his coffee, setting the cup on the table and taking twilight's plate for her. She started to object but was silenced with a hoof. "Let me be nice!" he said, feigning anger. "Gods, you'd think you would rather I beat you," He smiled at her, getting one in return before setting the dish in the sink. "You do know I'm joking right?" He asked, adding some detergent to the water and grabbing a rag. "I was raised to never lay hands… hooves, on a woman… mare. That is unless she lay hooves on me first without reason that is." Keith ran the cloth over the dishes, wiping off the left over food and rinsing them before going back over them again.

"So you're saying…" Twilight said as she walked up behind him, laying her hooves on his shoulders. "That this is alright?" Keith smiled as he washed the second dish. "Or am I overstepping my bounds as a mare?" She whispered into his ear. "Cause I might like being hit a little," She purred as she ran her hooves over his shoulders, sliding them down to his hooves. "Just a little though," She said, turning him around. "In very certain places…" Keith smiled, already liking this new side of her.

"What has gotten into you tonight?" He asked, smiling. "I don't think you've been this much fun since I met you," Twilight slipped her hooves over his, holding on. "In fact, I don't think you've acted this way before in your life." She placed her hoof on his lips, blushing slightly.

"We have a little time," She whispered, letting her hoof slide down to his chest. "Why not make it fun?" She leaned in, kissing him lustfully. Keith didn't resist, returning the favor in full. Twilight broke the kiss a moment later, stunned that she had done that. "Ok, what just happened?" She said loudly, backing away from him. Keith was slightly confused now.

"You came up to me," He explained. "Started talking very dirty and kissed me. I think that much would be obvious, Twilight." He dropped to his hooves, walking up and looking her in the eyes. "Are you ok? Do you feel well?" She stepped back slightly, shaking her head.

"I don't remember doing that," she said, thinking as hard as she could. 'Oh, come on brain!' she screamed in her mind. 'I want to remember this one.' Keith blinked as she paced back and fourth, starting to worry him.

"I think you might need to go take a nap Twilight," Keith said, walking towards the door of the kitchen. "From what Spike told me, you were up all night worrying about me." Twilight was about to argue, but decided he was right. "Good night," He said, picking up his guitar and walking out onto the street.

Keith was sitting in front of the computer, tapping the screen with a hoof as he explored the Royal Information Grid. The fact that he hadn't seen any cars on the roads, and then found the Internet equivalent astounded him. He was browsing musician profiles in the archives, checking which bands there were. Apparently music had developed alongside what was on earth, except slightly different. The band Judas Goat, the equivalent of Judas Priest, never had their singer leave for ethical reasons. The major reason behind that fact was that homosexuality wasn't shunned in Equestria. Their discography was only slightly different, missing the albums Demolition and Bruce Dickinson's other fill-ins.

'Idea for free production without complete copyright infringement,' he thought, writing down the track list to the albums and intending to write down all of the lyrics and musical notes later. He set the paper and pen aside, continuing to scan the band list. Metallica was there, know as Steel Shod. So were Guns N' Roses from the line up, known here as Illusions of Tomorrow. There wasn't one though, one he was a big fan of for their patriotism. Five Finger Death Punch, a band that had toured Iraq and Afghanistan with the troops, was unheard of. Possibly for the earth band's use of vulgarity and themes of war. This place was too peaceful for their style of music.

"Machine Man," Vinyl read behind him, looking over his shoulder at the paper. "One On One, Hell Is Home, Metal Messiah… The buck is this stuff?" Keith chuckled to himself, looking over religion now and finding the equality of Monotheism; among them Christianity. "You thinking about going big on me brony?" Scratch asked, watching what he was doing.

"Only if I get lucky," Keith said, closing out his windows and opening a musical scales. He added notes from memory, most from his years in college. Vinyl watched, running the instruments through her mind. "Just a pet project right now. I'm thinking of starting a basement band for the club." He finished the five and a half minute song, typing in the lyrics in the margins of the scales and separating the instruments into individual files. He had found the existence of motorized vehicles in the archives, mostly existing in large cities like Lost Alicorns and Manehattan. This would make his music easier to rip off. "I'm playing this tonight. I need the other's in the recording room with a backup drummer." Vinyl punched him in the side, knocking the wind from him.

"For such a hot stud, you're an idiot." Keith gave her a look as she mounted the drums, playing the part perfectly. When she finished she tossed the sticks behind her, getting down from the rolling platform. "I'm a Savant with music," she explained. "I didn't get this Cutie Mark for nothin'. I'll climb on after you get on stage with the others." She added, tossing a flash card labeled drums to Keith.

Keith had spent the last two hours running the song by the other instrumentalists, perfecting their parts individually with Scratch's recorded drum work. They were ready, or at least he thought so. He was standing just off stage, barely beyond the shine of the spotlight with the others. Scratch had pulled out the drum set and mic stand, taking her mic from the turntables. "Sweet Nightmare Moon, we got a great turnout tonight!" she yelled into the microphone, getting a yell from the crowd. "Yeah, yeah. I know who that noise is for!" The crowd chanted Keith's stage name, Scratch joining in as she waved him out. Keith walked out, his mane braided into long chords now. He waved to the club, stopping before the stand and holding onto it as he reared up.

"How is every pony!" He yelled, getting a roar in return. A mare in the mass of ponies asked if he would marry her. "Maybe later!" he called out without the mic, getting laughs from the crowd. He scanned the tables and crowd, finding Dash and Twilight there with Spike. "Alright, if you ponies thought I was going to do the same thing tonight you're mistaken." The crowd murmured, confused. "Yes, yes. I know. But you're so good at it, you say. Melt our hearts you say." He waved the rest of the band out, returning his vision to the crowd. "I've decided to start a band. This isn't the line up, mostly because they already have contracts with the club. But here is the first song from Dervish." He pulled his guitar out, stomping on the pedal to set the recorded electronics to play. The Rhythm guitarist played out his intro, Keith following up with some whining chords. "I wanna see a damn mosh pit up here right bucking now!" he said, adding to the grind that had started. The ponies started head banging, rough housing in front of the stage. Keith began singing in a baritone, his voice rough and graveled.

**AN: In parentheses are the parts where Vinyl Scratch is screaming backing vocals. ON WITH THE SHOW!**

"_They are dying on the dance floor! They are lying in debris! They are fading with exhaustion, From the model injuries! They are hungry and need feeding. They reside themselves to fate! Their desperate hint is written on their face_!" He played the short break, head banging with the crowd. "_When your will to live is almost gone, and you're left alone but you need someone Feed on me! Feed on me! They're out gunned and out numbered. But they'll never turn to run! And in the name of freedom, is written with their blood! Some would call them mercenary, but they always knew the pain! __ Inevitability far outweighs the gain_! When the hunger strikes you down again, and you feel your inner strength had drained. Feed on me! Feed on me! Feed on me… Feed on me. (I got whatcha need.) Feed on me! Feed on me! (Don't accept defeat!)"

Twilight watched the show with Dash, startled by the pyrotechnics going off. 'This place doesn't have fireworks in the stage,' she noted in her mind, determined now that something was amiss. 'Especially that kind,' she thought, holding Dash down as a flame thrower launched out over the crowd.

Keith let his guitar lay down, taking the mic in his hooves as the Electro sound played. "_They are dying on the dance floor. They are lying in debris. They are fading with exhaustion, from the model injuries…_" The rhythm guitarist picked up the beat again as Keith replaced his hooves on his instrument. "_Some would call them mercenary, but they always knew the pain! Inevitability far outweighs the gain! When your will to live is almost gone, and you're left alone but you need someone Feed on me! Feed on me! Feed on me… Feed on me. (I got whatcha need.) Feed on me! Feed on me! (Don't accept defeat!)_" Keith played the lead solo, falling into a crouch before finishing it, grabbing the mic and launching into the crowd. The ponies caught him as he screamed a note a lyric into the mic, being returned to the stage as the song ended and the concussion launchers went off. "Thank you!" He screamed out, getting another, more hyped up roar. He and the band walked backstage, Vinyl taking the mic from him and addressing the crowd.

"Damn brony!" The bassist yelled backstage, slapping Keith on his back. "You know how to rock out!" The guitarist agreed, bumping hooves with Keith. "Gonna be a sad day when LA calls you up. I have no doubt you're going to go big." Keith shoved them playfully, laughing.

"Nah, this is a basement project," He said modestly, hoping he would go big. "I would say you two are holding yourselves back by playing here, but you got steady contracts." They nodded, praising him all the way to the bar. Keith ordered them a couple rounds of shots on his tab, making a mental note to pay Fizz in the morning during clean-up. Keith picked both shots up, turning around and leaning back on the bar.

"So which one are you going home with tonight?" The guitarist asked, motioning to the crowd with his glass before downing it. "I know for a fact that every one of the mares and a few colts are dying to get with you, so don't give me none of that monogamy shit." Keith laughed at the young colt's attitude, downing both shots in one go. He coughed, the whisky being stronger than usual.

"I think I'm going home with those two," He said, waving to Dash and Twilight as they approached. "What up ladies?" He asked in a cocky tone, continuing on the banter the instrumentalists had started. Dash asked for their autographs, swearing they were going to be worth something someday. Twilight motioned to a dark corner of the club with her horn, calling Keith into private. The colts bantered on, talking about Keith getting laid in public. Twilight led him over, poking him with a hoof as Scratch laid down her beats for the evening.

"How did you do that?" She demanded, pointing to the stage. Keith looked at the stage, strobes going full force now. "With the fire," Twilight specified. "I helped rebuild this club, so I know damn well there aren't any pyrotechnics in the stage. The department of building safety wouldn't allow it. So how did you do it?" Keith gave her a strange look, thinking she had gone nuts.

"What pyrotechnics?" He asked, genuinely confused. "I set up lights for effect, just like Scratch. I have no idea what you're talking about." Keith was about to walk off, sure she was crazy until she pulled him back.

"Back to the library," She said, holding up a copy of the roster. It didn't show him performing again that night. "I have to check some stuff out and I need you to do it." She turned around, walking back toward the door. Keith sighed and walked to the bar, pointing Dash to the door.

"Sorry colts," He said in a cocky voice, downing the four shots they had set up for him in order. "Damn that burns… Anyway, I have to go. Twilight wants some alone time." The two smirked, slapping him on the shoulder and having Fizz give him a disposable container of red wine for the road. "Of course you two are trying to get me shit-faced," He commenting, waving to them before walking out with Twilight and the others.

The three ponies walked back to the library, Twilight sending Dash home out of concern for her safety. Spike let them in, closing the door behind them. Twilight ushered him on to bed, saying he was up way past his bedtime anyway. Spike didn't argue, hurrying away. When the door closed, twilight turned to Keith. "Sit," She demanded, pointing to the rug and levitating some books to herself. Keith walked to the blue and white ringed rug, sitting off to one side. Twilight skimmed through the books, sending them back and bringing several more over. "I'm looking for any historical reference to something of the like," She explained, preempting his question with an answer. She sent the books back, bringing more to her. She growled in frustration, tossing them about the room. "But I can find any!" She yelled, feeling defeated.

"Uh, Twilight," Keith said, causing her to look up at him. Before his muzzle, surrounded by a dark red glow was a book she had thrown. It was floating, levitated by something with red magic. "I'm not sure, but I might be doing that." She gasped at the notion, convinced it wasn't coincidence. "I take it this isn't normal then," He said as she brought one book down from the top shelves. It was very big, bound by rope and wood.

"I never thought this could be true," Twilight mumbled, flipping through the musty pages carefully. "I read this in Equestrian History class when I was little, but never thought of it as being more than the ramblings of a mad pony." She pointed to the page, reading aloud. "The Scriptures of The Alicorns, more commonly known as simply The Scriptures, is the longest enduring religion in Equestria. The author of the holy book, an ancient Alicorn known as Chronos, transcribed a prophecy during a volcanic eruption. It told of an eons old event where a being would come to a planet. the being would appear as one of the native inhabitants and, wielding an ability that some but not all of them could, would usher in an era of peace and harmony through revelry and debauchery." Keith was surprised by what he heard, finding the first part of it akin to his situation. "However, this record of his words are incomplete. The Scriptures were never fully located, having been lost to pillaging of the Draconiquis and Griffins before Alicorn rule in Equestria. Only the end was ever found after the end of the beginning. It says that something, be it for good or ill, will decide the fate of the world. Dictating whether or not life on the planet shall survive or perish." Twilight closed the book, laying down on her stomach and covering her muzzle with her hooves. "This explains why you're here at least," she said, sending all the books back to the shelves. "And why you can use magic."

"I could use magik before I came here," Keith commented. Twilight scoffed, finding this difficult to believe. "Really, I could. But where I'm from it is practiced and implemented differently." Keith stood up, walking over to the stationery desk. He drew chart on a piece of parchment, adding words to it before showing it to her. "Where I'm from it is spelled Magik, and it is less physical manipulation and more centered around energy." Twilight looked over the image he had drawn, finding it nearly identical to his Cutie Mark. "The Star or Pentacle is used in the western version of it. This star represents the four elements of Earth, Fire, Water and Air. The spire of the star representing the spirit of the wielder." He set the paper down, finding a skeptical look still on twilight's face.

"I know that there are more elements than those," he relented. "But this practice predates the human races understanding of atoms. These represent what in nature and the person or pony in macrocosm." He sat down, finding Twilight more interested now. "Fire is the element of the north. It represents all things that burn. Things like love, anger, courage, strength. Fire is also the only element in the physical world that is alive. A flame can grow or die out. It can move and consume, leaving waste behind it. fire is also what gives all things life. Water is the element of tranquility. It moves to fill and conform to its container, flowing over the path of least resistance and pooling where it can. It represents calm emotions like depression, understanding and kindness. Earth is the unyielding element. It is steadfast in the face of all things, representing stubbornness and discipline. This element is also considered to represent wealth and material possessions. Then there is Air. This element represents the free. Things that cannot be contained. Random, energetic, fast paced things." He chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but Pinky Pie comes to mind." Twilight giggled at the reference, now taking notes on Keith's Magik.

"Air is also the intellectual element, representing knowledge, experience and also longevity. I would bet money on you being an air sign. Were you born in the early summer?" H asked, getting a nod. "Well, well. I was right. Now the Spirit is considered an element also. It has the power to, through discipline, knowledge, passion and peacefulness to control the other four. It represents the thinking being, those being made of the four and having the fifth." Twilight rolled up the notes, sending them off somewhere with magic. "So your magic has something to do with those pyro displays at the club huh?" He asked, returning to the previous subject.

"Yeah," Twilight said. "But I cant seem to figure out wh…" She stopped, her mind running quickly. She closed her eyes, her horn glowing as she cast a spell. There was a loud pop as she did, her horn growing dark again. She opened her eyes, finding the room unchanged.

"What was that?" Keith asked, drawing her attention. When her eyes fell on him the answer was obvious. Keith appeared now as he did in the memory her mind had displayed on the rebar. He was much more defined to her, his figure chiseled and taught. "Did it do anything?" He asked, tossing a braid out of his face with a puff of breath.

"You can somehow create a kind of glamour around yourself," Twilight said, her voice dreamy. "And I have to say, it's rather nice." She motioned for him to walk around the room, staring all the while with fascination. Each time Keith stepped, the area behind him would change. The glamour was creating what Twilight liked to do the most when she was alone, in this case she was sitting by the lake outside of town. It was a sunny day and the wind was blowing slightly. The knee high grass was blowing in the breeze, light reflecting off of the blades of green. "I might leave my defensive barriers down," She said as she patted the floor beside her. "Just to enjoy the view." She sighed as Keith sat down beside her, placing her hoof on his blindly. "Can you see what I'm seeing?" She asked.

"No," He said quietly. "What do you see?" Twilight explained the visage, how the water of the lake was rippling slightly and the leaves in the tree were rustling quietly. She described the fields, how the hills lazily rose and fell along the horizon. Keith closed his eyes, trying to picture the scene. "I wish I could see it," He said.

"Can you see anything?" She asked, brushing her foreleg through the grass before her. Keith made an acknowledging sound. "What do you see?" She asked, curious now. Keith was silent for a moment, concentrating on controlling his energies. They had been running rampant ever since he had arrived, going unnoticed the entire time. Twilight blinked as the illusion faded, the library now showing through as the lake disappeared. The illusion seemed to be drawn towards Keith, collecting around his eyes and throat. The light faded, becoming nothing but reality once more.

"I see home," Keith said, the white light that had collected in his eyes turning black. "But it isn't the one I remember." Twilight watched him, feeling his hoof grasping hers. "It's different and strange, but undeniably better." The light faded from his eyes, revealing the dark green fields from Twilight's memories. "This is my new home, and I don't want to go back. Earth was so violent, dark and lonely. Even when I was in a crowded room I was alone. But here, there always seems to be a friend around every corner." He looked at her, making eye contact and giving her a smile. "Sometimes there's one right where you live and you're too blinded by the past to see it." Twilight smiled back, feelings she had never noticed surfacing. "Maybe somepony that could be more, you know?" Twilight blushed, seeing where he was taking the notion.

"Keith…" She began to say but fell short. He turned his head to the side slightly, waiting for her to finish. "I'm confused when I see you. I look at you and I see a friend. But if I see somepony else with you I get jealous, envious even. Maybe it was the illusion that I couldn't see…" Keith placed his hoof on her lips, stopping her and causing her to blush.

"Or maybe you feel that you want more than a friend," He said. "That you feel like you've been alone when surrounded by friends." She looked away, embarrassed that he had been able to read her so easily. "It's not your fault. Everything has needs. But beings that think like we do have more. We need to feel companionship, to feel loved. We need somepony to share everything with and not have them judge us. Friends can give us these feelings, but never in the same amounts as a single devotion." Twilight could feel her heart beating in her throat, the pace increasing as Keith turned her view towards him gently. Keith stared calmly into her eyes, causing her to freeze. "Is that what you want to feel?" He asked quietly. "To feel somepony beside you in body and soul? Something more than…" He stopped, leaning in closer. "Just a friend?"

Twilight was pleasantly stunned, caught up in the moment. Keith was close to her now, and she wouldn't mind being closer. He had an expression that she felt drawn to, one of caring and kindness. "I… I guess so…" She mumbled, feeling her body lean closer. "Yes, I've been alone Keith. And it is starting to hurt." She turned toward him, sitting up and coming face to face. "Do you think you could help me with the pain? Could you make it go away?" she took his hoof and placed it on her chest, her heart beating against it. "I don't care if it's for one day or the rest of my life, I just want the loneliness to go away." A single tear fell down her face, descending to the floor from her chin. Keith lifted her face slightly, kissing her gently. Twilight blushed again, warmth filling her as they made contact. She returned the kiss, bringing it deeper.

**Alright, I leave all you horny buckers hanging a lot don't I? Oh well! X)**

**I forgot to say, last chapter had the song Mad World in it. I couldn't remember the original artist, so I'm sorry.**

**The song in this one is Feed On Me by Judas Priest during their touring with Bruce Dickinson.**

**Please review, because I've got a few days off from the farm and I want to go trail riding with my black Morgan. Yeah, yeah, I blame MLP.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own MLP. All rights reserved Hasbro and Lauren Faust**

It had been three days since Twilight and Keith found out his ability to ensnare others in their favorite memories. The weekdays had been spent tutoring themselves, each learning to control and see through the façade he could generate. They worked from dawn to dusk, breaking only for food, rest and their jobs. Rarity had come around the library to make amends with spike on the first day, mending their broken friendship. The dragon's mood recuperated almost instantaneously, returning to his old self. Keith kept his promise to Carry, taking her to a diner in town for a meal. Rainbow Dash had stopped by the club the second day while Keith was writing music for Dervish. She had begged him to let her into the band, even going as far to prove her ability on the drums. Keith had decided her speed and thunderous playing style was exactly what he needed, re-recording the drums for his self produced EP. On the third day Twilight had taken Keith on a "not date", spending the entire day out beside the lake flirting and generally horsing around.

Keith was presently sitting on his bed down in the basement, picking his guitar aimlessly and thinking about what to do on his day off. He had thought about taking a walk through Ponyville, quickly discarding the idea on the basis that he wanted to be lazy today. He had picked up a pen, writing down a few riffs he had played that sounded pleasant and continued to play the instrument when he heard a noise in the ceiling. "Yes Pinky?" He asked, the pink pony popping out of the ceiling tile.

"How did you know I was there?" she asked, confused beyond normal. She had tried to talk to him three times, but each time he had sent her away claiming he had things to do. Keith chuckled to himself, strumming his guitar quietly.

"I heard you climbing through the AC," He explained, getting an 'oh yeah' expression from her. "You need to remember, hooves on metal tends to be a little loud." He slapped the strings, fed up with getting nowhere on his own music. It was easy to rip off other artists than make original pieces. He set the instrument aside, looking up at the pony in his roof. "What's on your mind?" he asked, waving her into the room fully. She wiggled in the tile, falling down to the floor and face planting. She stood back up, smiling as usual.

"I came over to check if all my emergency supplies were still stashed," She explained, going over the room and looking around at random things. "And it seems they all are." She gave him a wide grin, causing Keith to shift nervously. "Are you ready?" She asked, getting a questioning look. "For your party, silly! I have everything set up; all of Ponyville's there waiting for you." She grabbed him by the hoof, dragging him out of bed.

Keith walked down the road blindfolded, Pinky leading him along the way. 'Why do I feel like I'm being kidnapped…?' Keith thought, being stopped and then pushed again. He walked forward, the sound of his hoof beats changing from soft to sharp. He guessed he was in a building now, presumably alone.

"Ok!" pinky called from a distance. "You can take it off now!" Keith sighed and braced himself for whatever was there, taking off the blindfold with his eyes closed. He opened them slightly, finding where ever he was to be pitch black. "Walk four paces to your left," he heard Pinky direct, following her orders. "Now three to your right sideways…" Keith shimmied three feet to his right, feeling something soft touch his leg. The light came on, blinding him momentarily. He soon regained his vision, finding Carry holding his hoof. She let go, balking as literally all of Ponyville burst out of hiding in the room shouting surprise. Keith looked around, finding the party being hosted at the club.

"Pinky, Vinyl," he said getting the two next to him after a few moments. He looked at them in a deadpan. "Are you two responsible for this?" he asked, getting nods. Keith nodded, walking over to the bar and sitting beside Dash, Fluttershy and Twilight. He was handed a glass by Fizz, which he raised. "Let the party begin!" he called out, the town exclaiming with joy. Pinky bounced around in front of him, demanding to here his opinion. "It's not really my speed," he said, getting a slightly disappointed look from her. "But, I have to say this is the best party that has ever been thrown on my behalf." The pink pony perked up, giving him a hug before running off to dance with the rest of Ponyville to Vinyl's beats.

Applejack walked in about five minutes into the party, taking up a spot at the bar and ordering a whisky and ice. Keith watched her as she gulped down the fire water, obviously upset about something. He tapped her on the shoulder, leaning back on the bar as she looked his way. "Yeah," She said, taking another drink. "How y'all doin', perty colt?" Keith chuckled, getting a glare from her. "Did Ah make a buckin' joke? The hay do y'all think's so funny?" Keith shook his head, leaning over to her.

"Hard day, huh?" he asked, getting a shrug. Keith took a pensive expression, watching her body language. It wasn't hostile, but it was definitely defensive. She raised an eyebrow, having spotted him looking her over. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked, motioning to the abandoned catwalk above them. AJ shook her head lazily, getting a refill on her drink. Keith got down from the stool, pulling her with him. "Well you're going to anyway. I wouldn't be a good friend if I let you steam about something and drink it off." He led her to the stairs, taking a seat on the top one with her. "So what went wrong?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Mah dern brother," she said, scoffing and clumsily tossing her mane out of her face. "He told me he got a call from the Peace Keeper's Corps. Somethin's goin on in Southpony and they need an experienced war horse ta fig'er it out. Hey RD! Bring mah drink up here fer me!" She leaned back against the rail, Dash bringing the whisky to her and flying off. She took a sip, color blooming on her muzzle as the alcohol took effect. "He didn't even think ta consider how this would affect granny. He just said yes'ir. Now he's waitin on the corps ta," she made a waving motion in the air. "Come an' get 'em I suppose." She took another drink, the glass half emptied now. "Nough bout mah problems," she said, passing him the glass. "This here's yer party. How d' y'all like it so far?" Keith took a sip, ignoring the burn as he tried to figure out her aversion to the armed forces in such a peaceful world; wondering why they were even needed.

"Not really my speed," he said, getting a raised eyebrow from the farm pony. "I prefer to spend my time alone." AJ shook her head, pulling the scrunchie out of her mane and letting it fall flat on her back. "What? You think because I perform I like large crowds?" Keith shook his head, handing her back the drink. "No, I never was one for friends or parties. I would just as soon shoot myself than go to something like this willingly. And I've been shot before." Applejack raised her eyebrows, taking a drink. "I despise these things. Too many bodies and not enough escape routes. Consider me paranoid, I call it ready for anything." AJ gave him the glass, making him lean forward for it. She lunged in, stealing a kiss before letting him take the glass. Keith sat there, frozen in surprise.

"T'weren't ready fer that, were ya?" She asked with a giggle. Keith came back to reality, shaking his head slowly and taking a deep quaff from the glass. "Bet y'all didn't even think o' why Ah came here, did ya?" Keith shrugged, holding the glass out to her. She crawled up to him, looking him in the eyes as she took the glass and set it aside. Keith stared back, seeing her eyes still bright. She wasn't drunk, so why was she acting this way. "You," She said quietly. "Ah woulda jus' stayed at the farm, sulking to mah self about Big Mac. But then I remembered y'all had this little…" She paused, working her next word in her jaw slightly. "Soirée." She had lost the draw completely, speaking quietly in what Keith took as French with a perfect accent. "Ah thought that y'all might feel like Ah needed a talkin' to, which Ah guess Ah did. Ya perked me righ' outta that foul mood Ah was in, which got me ta thinkin'." She slid her hoof down his chest, stopping on his groin. "How good might y'all be able ta make me feel?" she asked, rubbing the length of his sheath.

Keith placed his hoof on hers, lifting it from its rather precarious position. "One, I'm your friend." He said, not rejecting the kiss she gave him afterward. He licked his lips as she broke the contact. "Two, I have a little more baggage than you want." AJ shook her head slowly and giggled as she kissed him again, getting and giving tongue this time. She refused to break the contact, thrilled Keith was giving her what she wanted in part at least. She slid her hoof down his body, letting it trace the ridges in his abs as it descended towards her target. She looked around the club, making sure nopony was watching before massaging his sheath again. Keith promptly lifted the hoof away, breaking the kiss. "Three, I'm not one for public sex." Applejack smiled lustfully, pulling him to his hooves before being stopped by a voice.

"What is going on here," Twilight demanded, staring down both ponies. Keith looked at her with an unchanging expression, giving her nothing that wasn't obvious. Applejack simply blushed, cowering ever so slightly. Twilight shook her head, looking at Applejack. "AJ, you aren't in trouble." She turned her look of compassion and understanding into anger as she looked at Keith. "I'm sure he seduced you. I should have known better than to trust you with my feelings Keith. It's over!" She turned around with her tail lashing from side to side as she stomped down the stairs before AJ ran after her, stopping her to explain.

"Twi, darlin it's mah fault," she said softly, regret on her voice. "Ah was in a foul mood when Ah left the farm t'day; Big Mac rejoined the corps. And Ah was goin' ta jus' drink it off at the bar," She looked back at Keith, finding him sitting down and waiting patiently as they talked. "But Keith was a good friend, decidin' ta talk to me. An' Ah was drinkin' a little heavy, so Ah started ta thinkin' bout stuff Ah guess Ah shouldn't have." She looked Twilight in the eyes, lowering her head slightly. "Ah'm sorry, sugar cube. He's all yers." Twilight watched AJ descend the staircase, returning her view to Keith after she was gone.

Keith stood up, walking over to her and stopping beside her. He looked out off the stairs, watching the ponyfolk dance and enjoy themselves. "You know," he said to Twilight, continuing to watch the others without expression. "I had no idea you could end a relationship that was never declared to have started." Twilight narrowed her eyes and glared at him as he walked down the stairs, anger simmering hotter by the second.

Keith was secured at the flank to a bar stool, his hoof affixed to a glass by some invisible weld his frustration and mild anger had made. The bartender, a gray pony named Fizzy Pop, was reluctantly keeping it full without question or prompt, understanding that Keith wanted to get as drunk as he possibly could that night. Keith continued to thank Fizzy each time, his speech becoming further impaired with each drink. He lifted the glass to his mouth, taking a sip as the violet unicorn that was fueling his bender sat beside him. "What in the name of all the evil creatures in Tartarus do you want now?" he asked, the alcohol in his system leaving his saber tongue to do its malicious work. Twilight scoffed, ordering a lightly alcoholic drink for herself.

"All the other seats were full." She sniped between drinks, getting a refill on the miniscule drink. Keith let out a snort of derision into his cup, taking a quaff as she lifted her newly filled glass. "So…" was all she said as she took a slight sip, the word trailing off into a sentence full of passive statements. Keith slammed his glass down as he finished it, turning his gaze on her with a glare that could have lit a star ablaze with a deadly flame.

"Yes, I was unaware you were under the impression that we were an item." Fizz shrank back after pouring Keith another cup of bourbon, wishing his current engagement was anywhere but here. "I find it ridiculous that, even though you refused to tell me or anypony else, you became so upset with Applejack in her inebriated state for trying to have some casual sex with a stallion that had not even the first clue he was in a monogamous relationship." Twilight scoffed this time, downing her drink and setting it aside before turning toward him.

"Well then let me be perfectly clear," she said, her voice hot with frustration and anger. "Even if we once were, we never will be now. You could have told her no under the circumstance that you thought we might be. But no, you were happy with just getting laid without a second thought about who else might by trying for your attention between the weekends and all the raving mad fillies in the street during the week." Keith leaned back against the bar and picked up his newly filled cup, a smirk on his face and an eyebrow raised.

"Are you saying," he began. "That you're jealous that all the colts and fillies are chasing after my tail when I live at your house?" Twilight opened her mouth to speak but snapped it shut with a shocked expression. "I see I've hit a particular nerve." Twilight fumed silently, ordering a stronger drink to go. Fizz handed her a cup with a lid, telling her the drinks were on the house tonight. She thanked him, glaring at Keith before walking to the door. "Arrogant Mule," Keith said before finishing off his drink. Fizz levitated a glass, cleaning it as he talked to Keith.

"She fancies you," He said, his voice surprisingly deep now that Keith could hear it clearly. "I remember a mare I knew once. She was beautiful. Her coat was the deepest walnut black and her mane a stunning hue of gold. Aurum was her name. I met her at this very spot, back before Vinyl rebuilt it. We courted for a while, but…" He stopped, Keith turning around in his stool to find him lost deep in thought. "We had a fight one night at the club, back when it was just a bar. She walked out in a fit, and I just stayed here and got drunk. The next morning I went looking for her, to apologize for what I had said and beg her to take me back. But her parents told me she had gone into the Everfree to find an old witchdoctor.

"I went after her, of course. But while I was in there I heard the howl of Timber Wolves. I went running away from the sound, not having a damned thing on me to protect myself with. When I stopped in a cave, I saw something I recognized. It was the form of Aurum, sleeping against a rock. The cave smelled awful though, something I knew she wouldn't do normally was sleep in a place like that. I walked up to her and tended the dying fire next to her. It lit up like it was supposed to, but what it revealed was, horrifying." Keith saw a tear fall from the stallion's face, worry filling him. "In the night, while she slept, something had come into the cave and… And…" He stopped, trying to speak through the knot building in his throat. "It ate her, whatever it was, it ate her. All this time, I wonder if… if I hadn't let her leave on that note, maybe she would still be alive. Just maybe I wouldn't just be the colt at the bar or the angry old codger that the foals are afraid of, you know." Keith stared into his glass, setting it down before getting up from the stool.

Keith ran down the street, looking for the violet unicorn he had offended. He knew the most likely places he would find her would be either the library or Zecora's hut, but he had no idea where the latter was. He headed for the library first, trying for the safer option. He burst through the door, looking around the entrance for any sign of her. "Twilight!" He called out, Fizz's words having struck him hard. Keith had remembered every human he had left on earth. He had left for the Marines when he was nineteen after an argument with his mother and father. He had never gone back to mend the wounds and fix the bridges he had burned. His best friend had died after he had called him out over his gear being dirty, the Humvee he had put him in running over an IED that very day. He had always left people he cared about on bad terms, now it was time to start new.

Kim pushed his way into the library, falling over himself as it flew open. He lay there on the floor for a moment, berating himself for falling into a state that was so easily winded. He waited for a few seconds letting his breath catch up before standing again. "Twilight," He called into the library. "Twilight, are you home!" He swung his head around in wide arcs, observing everything for any sign of her having packed for the journey to Zecora's. Every book, bag and stack of parchment was neat and trim as usual, save for a book on the pedestal. He trotted up to the stand, looking over the opened page. It was text on how to braid strands of plant fibers to make a colored flame wick. "Not something she would read," Keith quickly deduced, moving to the stairs. "Twilight," He called quietly. "You up there?"

"Go away," was the muffled reply. Keith sighed in relief, hearing her voice. He stepped on the stairs, keeping his hoof falls as quiet as possible. "I said go away Keith. I don't want to talk right now." He stopped halfway up the stairs, surprised at her level of hearing.

"I wanted to apologize," He said loud enough for her to hear through the door. He scoffed at his own statements as she called back in annoyance.

"Again?" He couldn't hold back a laugh at how accurate her reply was.

"Yeah," He said, the word trailing off. "I seem to be doing a lot of that recently, don't I?" He waited a moment, waiting a reply that didn't come. "Anyway, I should have used my head earlier. If I had thought about last weekend, I would have realized that we had something going." He took a few more steps, moving closer to the door during the conversation.

Twilight sat on the edge of her bed, listening to him plea his apologies. She stood up as she heard him begin to climb the stairs again, moving toward the door. "I'm an idiot, really. A complete ass-clown… you wouldn't understand that one… umm…" Twilight giggled quietly at his strife, keeping her voice low enough that he couldn't hear her through the door. "Can you tell I'm not good at this kind of stuff?"

"Yeah, I can tell," She replied. She placed her hoof on the lock, quietly unlatching it as he continued to struggle.

"In my defense, she came onto me," He stammered, grasping for any hand holds in the situation. "But that's not right and I should have turned her away and I'm so sorry for being stupid and..." Twilight cut him off by opening the door, turning around and walking back to her bed.

"No," She said. "I'm sorry. I should have told you, or rather asked you if you wanted to be in a relationship. I shouldn't have overreacted when I saw her making advances. You had no idea about what I wanted and for that I am so very sorry." She finished her apology, getting up on her bed and laying down on her side. "Come in, I have something to ask you." Keith was drawn from his dumbfounded state by her request, nodding before stepping through the doorway. "Close it please. I don't want spike coming home with Pinky Pie while we're talking." He nodded again, doing as she asked and locking it for good measure.

Keith sat next to her bed, leaning against the wall in silence as Twilight thought to herself. The silence lasted for about five minutes before she decided to speak up. "What do we have now, Keith?" Twilight asked, looking him in the eyes. Keith thought on the subject, going over the entire time he had been with her. There had been good times and bad, the occasional flirt or two and very confused emotions on his part at least.

"Friendship," He said. "A stressed and tightly stretched one, but a friendship nonetheless." Twilight looked out of the window at the foot of her bed, her eyes somber.

"Do you think it could be something more?" she asked. "And if you do, would you be willing to risk it for the sake of saying you tried?" Keith sighed, getting up and standing next to her. He hooked the edge of his hoof under her muzzle, turning her gaze to him.

"I already know that life is too short to waste it on what ifs and regrets," Keith said to her. "I made mistakes and passed up chances before I was brought here that I will never get to go back to." Keith looked down at the floor, feeling the weight of his neglect bear down on him. "I never wanted the life I had back where I'm from. I wanted to do what I am doing here, making people happy for a night instead of fighting for my life. I hoped my friends would consecrate me to the creator before I had to send them to it, but where I'm from is awful." He looked back up at her, seeing her eyes full of understanding. "I don't know if this is another chance at life or if I'm in some kind of weird coma dream, but…" Twilight stared at him with something akin to shock and confusion. "If I am in a dream, I honestly hope I never wake up. This has been the most perfect time in my life and I don't want to let it go away."

"Keith," Twilight interrupted, stopping his rambling state. "What are you saying? Do you think this is all a dream?" Keith shook his head, backpedaling to save the situation before Twilight began to laugh. "It's alright, I get it. If I woke up in a world of humans I would think I was asleep too, although I might try to wake up right away." Keith chuckled under his breath, not knowing how well she would handle the polar opposite of her world.

"I don't know," He said. "You would probably be too afraid to sleep." He chuckled, getting a nervous laugh from her. "but as for your question, whether we could be more than just friends." Keith looked to the side, staring at the wall before continuing. "I don't think it could happen at this point." Twilight raised an eyebrow, one ear drooping.

"What are you trying to say Keith," She asked, worried that he didn't like her. Keith chewed on his bottom lip, a nervous tic he had had since he was young.

"you know my EP was being scouted by Hoof Beats and Dark Horse Records, right?" He asked, getting a nod. "Well I got a call this morning from them, Dark Horse Records that is. They want to sign a contract for five years." Twilights reaction was one of mixed emotion, joy that her friend was going to be signed with a big label and sadness that he was undoubtedly leaving soon. "Don't worry though," He said, causing her to look him in the eyes. "They want to give it a few more months so the album can circulate, but I'm signed pretty much." She smiled half heartedly, Keith knowing she was forcing her happiness past the sorrow in her eyes. "Hey, cheer up," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "I've been promised there months, so we have some time together." Twilight hugged him, pulling him closer into her embrace.

**Yeah, yeah I know. YOU LIAR! YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE SEKS!**

**Oh fucking well, it's my story. So nyeh :P **

**Anyway, I thought a little emotion would do some good instead of sex. Also, I had no clue what to write when the results turned up for Twi. I mean, she's so innoscent, so pure that I just couldn't ruin her…**

**Not yet at least 3:) **

**Again, sorry for the short chapter. I seem to be falling into them lately. And for the long wait. I've been running between jobs for a while, so I had no time to write. And I just got fired so it's looking time again for the next four fucking month's. WELKOMEN TO AMERIKA!**

**Enough of my drama though. Review your disappointments. :)**


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